Spanish or French neoclassical school; late 18th century.

Spanish or French neoclassical school; late 18th century.
"Magdalene at the foot of the cross".
Oil on canvas. Rendered.
Measurements: 48,5 x 36 cm; 62,5 x 49,5 cm (frame).
This work of devotional character portrays one of the most represented themes throughout the history of art. However, both compositionally and thematically it possesses a great originality that distances it from the usual representations of the crucifixion without losing the drama and sobriety attached to the moment of Christ's death. At the foot of the cross the artist does not present the usual figures that form the Calvary; Mary and St. John, inherited from the Byzantine Deésis, but shows only Mary Magdalene kneeling at the foot of the cross. The young woman with bare feet clings to the wood in a pious attitude and directs her gaze towards Jesus in a sorrowful attitude far from the dramatic and close to the heavy, thus showing the viewer a reflective pain. The image shows us an arid landscape wrapped in the twilight as it is the moment of sunset.
The chromatic treatment and the monumentality of the figures stand out from the rest of the scene, dominating the image with their presence, which is also devoid of the usual iconographic motifs. The author has avoided dramatism by presenting a muscular body, anatomically proportioned.