Aragonese school of the XVI century.

Aragonese school of the XVI century.
"Christ with Mary and St. John".
Oil on panel.
Measurements: 117 x 135 cm.

We are in front of a representative work of the Aragonese school of the XVI century, of considerable dimensions, that combines with singular mastery elements of the late Gothic with incipient glimpses of the Renaissance. The scene, a sacred celestial conversation, is articulated in a rigorous pyramidal composition, symbol of divine harmony, where the figures of Christ, the Virgin Mary and Saint John the Baptist are solemnly seated on a bed of clouds, like an ethereal cottony podium that suggests their spiritual elevation and their separation from the earthly world.

Christ occupies the apex of the compositional pyramid, enthroned in the center and firmly holding a monumental cross in his right hand, symbol of his redemptive sacrifice. His foot rests on a skull, under which a serpent coils and an apple lies, a clear iconographic allusion to original sin, conquered by death and redeemed by his passion.

On the left, St. John the Baptist, with his staff adorned with a phylactery, points with his right hand to the Messiah, in a gesture of prophetic recognition. His physiognomy, strikingly similar to that of Christ, suggests a deliberate spiritual symmetry, underlining his role as forerunner of the Redeemer.

To the right of Jesus, the Virgin Mary folds her hands on her chest in an attitude of devout contemplation. Her face, with an elusive and melancholic gaze, is turned away, intensifying the introspective atmosphere of the composition.

The clothes of the three characters are of a remarkable plastic richness, defined by wide broken folds and deep draperies that reveal a formal sensibility influenced by Italian Renaissance currents and Flemish painting, although still anchored in a Hispanic aesthetic of medieval descent. This contrast is accentuated by the golden background, inherited from the Byzantine and Gothic world, which acts as a timeless field where the figures, endowed with Renaissance corporeity, emerge with monumental nobility.

In the Aragonese school of the late fifteenth century-early sixteenth century, the Italian influence arrives first in its primitive form, with the works of the Quattrocento, and soon gives way to the contemporary Mannerist influences. This century saw the transition between the Flemish-influenced language and the new Italianate style, which left behind the rich and detailed sense of the Hispano-Flemish language. However, this arrival of new styles will not be uniform throughout Spain; on the Mediterranean coast these influences will arrive earlier thanks to the link between the crown of Aragon and Italy. On the other hand, in Castile and the interior of the Peninsula, the Flemish and late Gothic influences survived, largely driven by the Catholic Monarchs and by a clientele still attached to the old forms.