Jerónimo Jacinto Espinosa

Jerónimo Jacinto Espinosa (Cocentaina, Alicante, 1600 - Valencia, 1667)."Christ preaching".Oil on canvas.Presents expert appraisal by Joan-Ramón Triadó in Barcelona in 1999. Presents a technical restoration report.Measurements: 108 x 86 cm; 142 X 121 cm (frame).Here the monumental figure of the Saviour is the protagonist of the composition, raising his right hand to give the blessing. In his left hand he holds part of his garment which he gathers with his hand on his chest in an attitude of compassion and forgiveness, a motif which alludes to the universal authority of Christian doctrine. Also worthy of note is the importance of the lighting, with a naturalistic influence, as well as the sober chromaticism, with expressive contrasts of light and shade and a directed, dramatic light.Jerónimo Jacinto Espinosa was one of the most important representatives of the early Valencian Baroque. Born in Cocentaina and settled in Valencia, after the death of Francisco Ribalta in 1628 he became the city's most prestigious painter. He trained with his father, the Mannerist painter Jerónimo Rodríguez de Espinosa, and showed precocious talent. His language is also influenced by Francisco Ribalta, as well as by Juan Ribalta and Pedro Orrente. He was a prolific painter, focusing mainly on hagiographic themes and scenes from the New Testament. However, he also produced portraits in the naturalistic style of his training. In fact, Tenebrist naturalism, with its warm, Caravaggesque intonation in the manner of the Ribaltas, remained constant in his work throughout his career, without showing any influence from the new decorative Baroque trends that triumphed in Madrid and Seville.Espinosa signed his first important work, The Miracle of the Christ of the Rescue, in 1622-23. In this canvas he already showed a fully mature style, which soon earned him new commissions from various Valencian convents. His masterly portrait of the Dominican Jerónimo Mos (1628) also dates from this period. Espinosa also worked for the local nobility, although many of the works he executed before 1640 have been lost. In the following years, and especially in the last decade of his life, he produced his most notable works, and worked for the cathedral, the university and the city of Valencia itself. It should also be noted that we have preserved some drawings by his hand, which give us a better understanding of his system of working. These are studies from life, which are essential to achieve the realism of his painting. His work on canvas was fast, with Venetian-style brushstrokes, glazes and fluid paste. As a result, he achieved a brilliance of colour praised by his contemporaries. Espinosa's works are currently held in the Prado Museum, the Fine Arts Museum of Valencia, the University of Valencia, the National Art Museum of Catalonia, the Museum of the City of Valencia and other collections, both public and private, as well as in various religious centres in the Valencian Community.