Andalusian school; c. 1840.

Andalusian School; c. 1840.
"Christ healing the sick".
Oil on canvas. Relined.
It has a frame of the late nineteenth century with faults.
Measurements: 38 x 61 cm; 58 x 80 cm (frame).
This painting belonging to the Andalusian school of approximately 1840 represents one of the scenes of the New Testament: Jesus among the sick. The composition shows Christ in the center of the scene, erect, with an elevated gaze and an expression of restrained serenity, surrounded by a group of figures representing different states of human suffering: blind, crippled, afflicted women, helpless children. This representation is not only a remarkable technical exercise, but also a visual affirmation of the Christian theology of mercy.
The Andalusian school of the mid-19th century, although still deeply influenced by Baroque religious canons, already began to show signs of Romantic realism, especially in the interest in humble figures, emotive gestures and individualized characterization of the characters. In this work, each figure has its own emotional charge: the gesture of the old man who covers his forehead in despair, the woman who pleads on her knees, the child who observes in silence. All these elements are treated with a loose but sure brushstroke, denoting a mastery in pictorial narrative. The chromatic range is earthy, with a predominance of ochers, reds and blues that reinforce the dramatic character of the scene without falling into rhetorical excess.