Spanish or Southern Italian school; 17th century.

Spanish or southern Italian school; XVII century.
"St. Peter penitent".
Oil on canvas.
Measurements: 123 x 85 cm; 136 x 98 cm (frame).
Conceived within the full baroque language, the canvas immediately captures the attention for its naturalistic treatment and the psychological depth of the character. In the character's features we can recognize a certain stylistic influence of the unmistakable Martínez Domedel, one of the great interpreters of Andalusian Baroque naturalism. His male models, of mature age and strong character, reappear consistently throughout his production: weather-beaten faces, intense gazes animated by moist and bright eyes, and a physical truth that transcends the merely descriptive to enter the psychological. These are not idealizations, but real, almost palpable presences, conceived with a pictorial honesty that today is especially seductive for the attentive collector.
The zenithal light, wisely administered, runs over the face and sculpts with precision the prominent cheekbones and the curled beard, creating a play of volumes that reveals the painter's technical mastery. This intense expressiveness finds clear parallels in the Evangelists of the Cathedral of Jaén, where Martínez Domedel achieves some of his most successful solutions. In particular, the physiognomic definition and the emotional charge of the present model refer directly to Saint Luke, one of the most celebrated figures of the group.