Novo-Hispanic school; end of the XVII century.

Novo-Hispanic school; end of the XVII century.
"Compassio Patris".
Oil on canvas.
Measurements: 87 x 78,5 cm; 113,5 x 95 cm (frame).
This novohispana work is inspired by an engraving of an Ambrosius Benson painting. The work represents the theme of the Compassio Patris, that is, the dead Christ held by the Father and the Dove of the Holy Spirit with them. It is a Trinity based on an asymmetrical composition, typically baroque, which emphasizes the identification of the three divine forms. The central axis is God the Father and Christ, who sits on his father's knees. God is wearing a mitre, symbol of power. Finally, the Holy Spirit is represented, in the form of a Dove in a break of reddish-colored glory that contrasts with the golden finish of the work.
During the Spanish colonial domination, a mainly religious painting was developed in New Spain, aimed at Christianizing the indigenous peoples. The local painters were modeled on Spanish works, which they followed literally in terms of types and iconography. The most frequent models were the harquebusier angels and the triangular virgins, however, in the first years of the 19th century, already in times of independence and political opening of some of the colonies, several artists began to represent a new model of painting with its own identity.