Attributed to Matías de Arteaga

Attributed to MATÍAS DE ARTEAGA Y ALFARO (Villanueva de los Infantes, Ciudad Real, 1633 - Seville, 1703).
"The flagellation".
Oil on canvas. Relined.
Measurements: 63 x 86,5 cm; 86 x 110 cm (frame).
We see in this canvas the Flagellation of Christ, represented within a composition of classic character, balanced and centered, of clear Italian heritage. The scene is articulated around the figure of Christ, located in the main axis of the painting, while the executioners are arranged around him, creating a compositional rhythm that reinforces the dramatic tension of the episode. The arrangement of the characters, slightly turned towards the viewer, allows a clear and orderly reading of the action, while introducing a certain effect of emotional proximity. The scene takes place in a rich architectural space, meticulously described and built according to the laws of linear perspective, which refers to Italian models of the sixteenth century. Classical architecture plays a fundamental role in the structuring of the space, framing the action and providing scenic depth, while reinforcing the solemn character of the episode represented.
The work presents formal affinities with productions of the Sevillian Baroque school, in which classicist architecture and spatial construction acquire a notable prominence. This type of compositional solutions, based on deep perspectives and monumental architectural settings, find parallels in works such as those produced by the circle of Matías de Arteaga, an artist trained in the Sevillian tradition and influenced by masters such as Bartolomé Esteban Murillo and Juan de Valdés Leal.Arteaga developed a production focused on religious cycles and narrative series, in which architectural space and perspective play a structural role, while the human figures, on occasion, show less anatomical precision, compensated by the overall impact of the scene. This resource can be seen in various Marian series and devotional compositions preserved in institutions such as the Museum of Fine Arts of Seville.Overall, this Flagellation of Christ is part of the Sevillian Baroque tradition, where naturalism, theatricality and spatial construction inherited from the Italian Renaissance combine to generate scenes of intense emotional charge and devotional purpose, typical of the artistic context of the Counter-Reformation and the cultural boom of Seville as a major artistic and commercial center of the seventeenth century.