Sevillian school; second half of the XVII century.

Sevillian school; second half of the seventeenth century.
"The heads of St. John and St. Paul".
Oil on panel (x2).
Measurements: 29.5 x 20.5 cm (x2); 39.5 x 33.5 cm (frames, x2).
Pair of paintings representing the decapitated heads of St. John and St. Paul belong to the deeply dramatic visual imagery that characterized the Sevillian School in the second half of the seventeenth century, a time of full maturity of Baroque naturalism in Andalusia. Both works, probably conceived as devotional studies or elements of a larger narrative cycle, condense the emotional intensity, anatomical rigor and capacity for spiritual suggestion that distinguished the Sevillian masters.
In the first painting, the head of the bearded saint, traditionally identified as St. Paul, rests with a slight lateral inclination, showing a face that oscillates between ecstatic serenity and the imprint of martyrdom. The cut of the neck, depicted with sober but effective anatomical precision, reveals the Sevillian painters' interest in verism, that is, the search for a faithful but not grotesque representation of suffering. The background, of an earthy ochre, functions as a neutral atmosphere that intensifies the presence of the face and concentrates the viewer's gaze on the almost meditative expression of the saint.
The second painting, the head of St. John on a tray, takes up one of the most widespread themes in Baroque iconography. Here the artist emphasizes the narrative dimension through the use of the metal plate, which introduces an element of ritual theatricality, very typical of Counter-Reformation art.
These pieces reveal the essential features of the Sevillian Baroque School, one of the most influential in Spain during the Golden Age. In the second half of the 17th century, Seville was still an important artistic center, although already in economic decline after the closure of its overseas trade routes. However, its artistic life remained extraordinarily vibrant thanks to institutions such as the Academy of Painting, founded under the impetus of Murillo in 1660, and also thanks to the strong demand for religious art promoted by monastic orders, brotherhoods and sisterhoods.