Flemish school of the second third of the XVI century. Follower of AMBROSIUS BENSON.

Flemish school of the second third of the sixteenth century. Follower of AMBROSIUS BENSON, (Region of Lombardy?, ca. 1490-1500 - Bruges, 1550).
"Crucifixion".
Oil on panel.
Measurements: 67 x 52 cm, 73 x 58 cm (frame).
This work is part of the Flemish school of the second third of the sixteenth century, which, by its technical characteristics is presumably attributed to a painter follower of Ambrosius Benson. The present work closely follows the models established by the Flemish painter, his most significant productions are elegant representations such as, for example, "The Crucifixion" preserved in the Prado Museum, which we can put in parallel with the work we present here. The Crucifixion is probably the most characteristic Christian image, and was undoubtedly one of the most represented and collected in Habsburg Spain. Sculptures or paintings of Christ on the cross, in their various forms, were found in almost every church and chapel, and in private homes they served as devotional objects. The themes related to the Passion, which emphasize the human character of Jesus and his suffering, were central to the spiritual life of Golden Age Spain. In depicting these scenes, painters and sculptors aimed to move the viewer just as poets and preachers did with their respective means of expression. Given the public nature of devotion at the time and the familiarity of sixteenth-century Spaniards with sacred art, images such as these were for most of them inseparable from the pious experience.
Ambrosius Benson was one of the so-called masters of the tradition, successor of Van der Goes, and evidenced the influence of Van Eyck, Van der Weyden and the Flemish primitives in general. However, in his work we can appreciate features already typical of the 16th century, coming from Italy, such as the triangular composition that we see in this work. Originally from Lombardy, more Italian features can be appreciated in his painting. Benson was a painter of religious subjects and portraits, and trained with Gerard David in Bruges from 1518, the year in which he obtained citizenship there. However, he had problems with his master that ended in a judicial process, and in 1519 he appears already registered in the Painters' Guild as an independent master. From the following year there was a clear growth in his activity, and between 1522 and 1530 he rented between one and three stalls in the annual market to sell his paintings. Benson held high positions in the painters' guild, his works were valued at very high prices and he had several apprentices, including two of his sons, Willem and Jan. Although only two of his signed works are known ("Triptych of St. Anthony of Padua" in the Musées Royaux des Beaux-Arts in Belgium and "The Holy Family" in a private collection), and seven dated, based on stylistic criteria more than one hundred and fifty paintings have been attributed to him. Benson's workshop had an important production and, as was the case with Adriaen Isenbrandt's, his works were generally destined for the Iberian Peninsula market. As for his language, despite his affiliation to tradition, he formed, together with Isenbrandt and Jan Provost, the last generation of Bruges painters characterized by breaking with the Gothic tradition and introducing in their style the innovations of the Italian Renaissance. This influence can be appreciated at the plastic level and in effects such as monumentality, since their themes and compositions are generally still inscribed in the Flemish tradition. On the other hand, the variety of themes and formats that characterizes his production may be due to a workshop with numerous collaborators.