Andres Perez

ANDRÉS PÉREZ (Seville, 1660- 1727).
"Virgin of the Rosary with Child and border of Flowers".
Oil on canvas. Relined in the nineteenth century.
Presents restorations.
It has a XIX century frame.
Measurements: 165 x 105 cm; 188 x 131 cm (frame).
We see in this canvas a typical composition of the baroque period inherited from the Low Countries. It is a scheme that combines a garland of flowers, sometimes also of fruits, although not in this specific case, with a religious representation of devotional type in the interior. The author combines the genres of religious painting and still life, seeking a greater sumptuousness and a theatrical sense, almost trompe l'oeil, very much to the taste of Baroque painting. It should be noted that, in this type of compositions, the flowers are not simply a secondary element, or accessory, but are worked with the same care, and with the same quality as the religious image. In fact, sometimes they even show a more skilled hand, since often these works were the result of the collaboration of a painter of flowers and another specialized in the human figure. In this particular prayer it is noteworthy to point out that some of the flowers that form part of the garland have religious scenes inside them.
Stylistically, the emphasis on drawing is balanced with a precise tonal work that highlights the variety of textures and qualities of clothing, flesh and liturgical objects. Due to the technical characteristics, the representation of elements very typical of Andalusian art. This work can be aesthetically inscribed in the moment in which the Andalusian school reached its greatest splendor, both for the quality of the works and for the primordial rank of the Sevillian Baroque painting. Especially linked to the painting of Andrés Pérez. There is little data on the biography of the painter Andrés Pérez, son of painter Francisco Pérez de Pineda, of whom he was probably a disciple. According to Cean, despite the Murillo influence of the time, Andres Perez has its own style characteristics, such as a very precise drawing, characters of kind expressiveness, and large scenarios in which reminiscent of architectural environments or landscape perspectives. The two most relevant works known of this painter are kept in the Museum of Fine Arts of Seville, having been attributed to Ortega and Lucas Valdés. His works have a markedly Eucharistic symbolism, perhaps because of the commissions for chapels.