José de Páez

JOSÉ DE PÁEZ (Mexico, 1720 - 1790).
"Saint John Nepomucene.
Oil on copper.
It has an important frame of the eighteenth century.
Signed.
Measurements: 27 x 21 cm; 90 x 60 cm (frame).
The scene takes place on the earthly plane with the saint in the center of the scene. Dressed in priestly attire, he is illuminated by a nimbus of light. He holds a crucifix in one hand and the palm of martyrdom in the other. A cherub at the feet of the saint holds a book where one can read "Prosigilo confessions", while he holds a finger to his lips. Finally, in the last shot, a group of men can be seen throwing St. John over a bridge. The features of the characters allow linking this work with the viceregal school, influenced in turn by the Sevillian school in iconography and models. San Juan Nepomuceno acquired devotion and roots in the 17th century. He arrived in the Spanish overseas colonies by the hand of the Jesuits during the 18th century. He is represented as the exemplary priest, often as a Mexican canon, with an ermine cape, as here, as in the present painting. The ermine cloak signals the choice of martyrdom rather than impurity; the four colors (white, red, green and blue) symbolize the four faculties that gave him the distinction of doctor of the Church: philosophy, ecclesiastical law, universal/civil law and theology.
José de Paéz was a very prolific painter, belonging to the generation after Miguel Cabrera. He produced excellent portraits and caste paintings, as well as religious compositions of various sizes, from nun's shields to enormous canvases that covered entire walls. Although his works are distributed in churches in Mexico and Peru, it is known that he exported a large part of his production. He trained with the painter Nicolás Enríquez, and worked throughout his life in his Mexico City studio. It is not known if Paez traveled abroad, although the fame of his work is known, given the works by him that exist in various American countries. He mainly worked on commissions for different orders of the viceroyalty of New Spain, the richest of the crown at the time. He is represented in the Andrés Blastein Collection, the Museum of Mexican History, the Museum of America in Madrid, the Soumaya in Mexico, the Columbus House in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria and the National Museum of Catholic Art and History in New York, among others.The second half of the eighteenth century in New Spain was marked by the economic boom, so the aristocrats and religious orders had enough resources to build new buildings, or to renovate existing ones. Thus, the demand for religious art increased, as well as for portrait and caste painting. In this period of abundant demand, José Páez, one of the most outstanding exponents of the Novo-Hispanic school of the 18th century, developed his work. His style is classicist, with a predominance of drawing, a marked and expressive line that endows the figures with sculptural corporeity. However, he does not neglect the coloring, softly toned and very studied, contained and balanced, as we see in this set of canvases. Also noteworthy is the wise use of lighting, which subtly models the figures, giving them volume and presence in space, without resorting to complex perspectival constructions.