Spanish school; second third of the XVI century.

Spanish school; second third of the XVI century.
"St. Peter and St. James the Greater.
Oil on panel.
It presents restorations in the pictorial surface.
Measurements: 63 x 78 cm.
This work constitutes a significant example of the religiosity and the visual language that characterized the Hispanic artistic production in this period. The work represents the two apostles in the foreground, with a long bust and pronounced frontality.
The arrangement of the figures, centered and set against a landscape with little spatial development, suggests that this painting may have been part of a larger composition, probably an altarpiece or devotional ensemble. In these contexts, the saints were usually paired together, not only because of their foundational role in the Church, but also because of their exemplary function.
In terms of technical and stylistic aspects, the Spanish school of the 16th century was in a process of maturation that combined the late Gothic heritage with the progressive assimilation of Italian and Flemish Renaissance forms. In this sense, the painting shows a marked attention to the naturalism of the faces, the volumetric modeling of the flesh and a certain chromatic austerity that responds to the sober and meditative character of Hispanic religious art.
The value of this type of work also resides in its pedagogical and devotional function, since through the expressive intensity of the faces and the hieratic frontality of the apostles a direct dialogue with the faithful was sought, favoring the contemplation and interiorization of the models of sanctity. The technique, although influenced by the international echoes of the Renaissance, maintains a distinctive seal: expressive severity, formal restraint and clarity in the iconographic presentation, features that would end up defining the identity of Spanish painting on the eve of its Golden Age.