Juan de Uceda

JUAN DE UCEDA (Seville, 1570-ibidem, 1631)
"Infant Jesus with the attributes of the passion".
Oil on canvas.
It presents restorations.
Measurements: 76 x 59 cm.
The work represents the Child Jesus inscribed in a landscape of dark and deeply atmospheric sky that surrounds the figure and concentrates the attention in his serene and symbolic presence The Child wears blue tunic and appears carrying the cross towards which he directs the look crowned with thorns and holding a basket with the nails anticipating in a clear way the instruments of the Passion This contrast between the infantile innocence and the theological load of the future sacrifice constitutes one of the most touching features of the composition The expression of the face is extraordinarily sweet of soft features.
From the stylistic point of view, the painting is situated in a moment of transition between late Mannerism and the naturalism that characterizes the evolution of Juan de Uceda The modeling of the face and hands is soft and delicate with a contained drawing that is integrated in an atmosphere of sifted light The sober chromatism dominated by the light and the softness of the colors is the main feature of the composition. sober chromatism dominated by deep blues and earthy tones reinforces the meditative character of the scene while the dark and vaporous background of Mannerist roots begins to open up to a more naturalistic conception of space and the figure influenced by Sevillian painting of the early 17th century.
This work fits fully into the career of Juan de Uceda, trained in the workshop of Alonso Vázquez and active independently from the end of the 16th century His style evolved under the influence of Juan de Roelas towards a more natural and expressive language without completely abandoning the compositional elegance of Mannerism In mature paintings such as the Trinity on Earth, a more affirmed naturalism can already be seen. In the Infant Jesus with the attributes of the Passion this evolution is manifested in the balance between idealization and sensitive truth, giving rise to an image of great emotional and devotional intensity where theology is communicated through the tenderness, contemplation and contained beauty typical of the Sevillian school of the first Baroque.