Attributed to Gregorio Vásquez de Arce y Ceballos

Attributed to GREGORIO VÁSQUEZ DE ARCE Y CEBALLOS (Santa Fe de Bogotá, 1638-1711),
"Santo Domingo de Guzman.
Oil on panel.
It has a frame of the eighteenth century.
Measurements: 22 x 17 cm; 33 x 26 cm (frame).
This devotional image shows the bust of Saint Dominic de Guzman, founder of the Order of Preachers or Dominicans, highlighting his face illuminated by a halo that enhances his presence and his attributes that he carries in both hands. Born in Castile in 1170, Saint Dominic was a scholar and missionary recognized for legendary miracles such as the resurrection of a young boy and the rescue of pilgrims.
The aesthetics of the work reveals a stylistic closeness to Vásquez, formed in the intellectual and religious environment of Santa Fe, probably in the workshop of the Figueroa family, he developed his work within the framework of the Hispano-American Baroque (c. 1650-1750), adapting European models to the catechetical and spiritual needs of the Creole context. Son of Andalusian descendants established in the 16th century, his painting reflects this double heritage: the Sevillian tradition in the treatment of light and the local sensitivity in the sweetness of the faces and the emotional proximity of the scenes. Most of his production, centered on episodes from the life of Christ, the Virgin and the saints, consolidated a visual imaginary that defined the religious culture of Neo-Granada.