Spanish school; second half of the 17th century.

Spanish school; second half of the XVII century.
"Ecce Homo.
Oil on canvas. Relined at the edges.
Presents restorations.
Measurements: 51 x 41 cm.
The contained emotion of this work is evident thanks to the pictorial capture of the light that is presented in an effective and tenebrist way, properly baroque. The artist isolates the figure of Christ in the center of the scene, monumental both in presence that dominates almost the entire painting, and in the musculature that can be seen in his face of classic features and in part of the bust that is finally covered by a tunic where the hallmarks of color provide expressiveness. With a simple and clear composition, with the face of Christ in the foreground, the prominence of the face of Christ deepens the expressive power and pathos, designed to move the spirit of the faithful who pray before the image, within a tremendist sense very typical of the baroque in catholic countries. However, this face has abandoned the pain despite being crowned with thorns. It is shown calmly with the mouth half-open, as well as the eyelids in a sorrowful way.
The theme of Ecce Homo belongs to the cycle of the Passion, and precedes the episode of the Crucifixion. Following this iconography, Jesus is presented at the moment when the soldiers mock him, after crowning him with thorns, dressing him in a purple tunic (here red, symbolic color of the Passion) and placing a reed in his hand, kneeling down and exclaiming "Hail, King of the Jews!". The words "Ecce Homo" are those pronounced by Pilate when presenting Christ before the crowd; their translation is "behold the man", a phrase by which he mocks Jesus and implies that Christ's power was not such as that of the rulers who were judging him there.