Spanish school; 17th century.

Spanish school; XVII century.
"San Francisco de Paula".
Oil on canvas. Relined.
Measurements: 80 x 59 cm; 109 x 88,5 cm (frame).
In this canvas is represented San Francisco de Paula of half body, in pensive position, with the look directed upwards and with a paper between his hands in which the word "Caritas" can be read. He appears dressed in dark sackcloth, typical of his hermit character, in complete solitude, without any attribute that distracts the viewer. It is a work perfectly framed within the naturalistic baroque, heir of José de Ribera, starring a totally earthly man, with a face far from any idealization. San Francisco de Paula is presented as a real person, with personalized features typical of the individualized study, furrowed by deep wrinkles. As usual within the naturalistic baroque, the composition is simple and clear, with the character in the foreground against a neutral and dark background that enhances his physical presence. Apart from the human model and this composition, the lighting is also clearly naturalistic, a tenebrism derived directly from Ribera that is based on an artificial, directed spotlight that penetrates the painting and falls on the face and hands of the saint. The chromatism is also typical of this school, very limited around the ochers, earthy, reflecting the warm and naturalistic atmosphere.

Regarding the subject, it represents Saint Francis of Paola (Calabria, Italy, 1416-Tours, France, 1507), hermit founder of the Order of the Minims and saint of the Catholic Church in the Italian region of Calabria. Legend has it that St. Francis became seriously ill of the eyes, reason for which his parents entrusted themselves to St. Francis, curing their son's eyes. To be grateful for the miracle, at the age of fourteen he went on pilgrimage to Assisi, thus becoming a hermit. For five years he withdrew to the mountain, feeding only on water and wild herbs, sleeping on the hard ground, with a stone as a pillow. He was canonized in 1519, only twelve years after his death, during the pontificate of Pope Leo X. In the early years of the 16th century, the Order of the Minims entered Spain, acquiring great diffusion due to the values of Franciscan preaching that they spread, which, linked to the recent canonization of the saint and his way of life and poverty, had a very strong influence among the Spanish Christian population.