School of Peter Paul Rubens

School of PETER PAUL RUBENS (Siegen, Germany, 1577 - Antwerp, 1640)
"Crucifixion of Christ".
Oil on canvas.
Relined and restored.
It presents report of the CAEM and University of Lleida. According to their criteria: Workshop or circle of Anton Van Dyck.
With little visible blow in the lower left central part.
Measurements: 190 x 147 cm.

The present work represents a scene of the Crucifixion of Christ, accompanied by the Virgin Mary, St. John the Evangelist and Mary Magdalene, within a composition of strong emotional dramatism and marked baroque spirituality. Due to its stylistic and compositional characteristics, it can be preliminarily ascribed to the Flemish school of the 17th century, linked to the circle or workshop of Peter Paul Rubens.

The painting shows Christ crucified at the moment after the expiration, with the body still suspended and cut out against a dark background that intensifies the theatrical effect of the scene. The anatomical modeling, of great expressive force, shows a clear influence of Rubens' language: marked musculature, studied body tension and a luminous treatment that concentrates the attention on the central figure. The directed illumination and the use of deep hallmarks of chiaroscuro refer to the models developed in Antwerp during the first third of the 17th century.

At the foot of the cross there are several mourning figures. On the right is the Virgin Mary, wrapped in a dark mantle and gathered in an attitude of prayer and resignation, while St. John the Evangelist, dressed in a red tunic, looks towards Christ with a gesture of affliction. In the foreground, Mary Magdalene kneels embracing the cross in an attitude of intense penitential fervor, a recurring iconographic element in Flemish Baroque religious painting. The composition emphasizes the emotional pathos characteristic of the Counter-Reformation, whose objective was to awaken the devotion and spiritual empathy of the spectator.

The work presents important affinities with the models of Crucifixion spread from the workshop of Peter Paul Rubens, especially in the monumentality of the figures, the contained dynamism and the theatricality of the scene. During the 17th century, Rubens directed one of the most influential workshops in Europe, producing numerous religious compositions executed both by direct collaborators and by disciples and followers who replicated designs and schemes devised by the master. This system of production explains the existence of multiple variants and versions derived from Rubenian compositions currently preserved in European collections.

The painting stands out for the technical quality of the modeling, achieved through a loose but controlled brushstroke, characteristic of the mature Rubens. The treatment of the skin, with luminous nuances and areas of warm shadows, reveals a deep anatomical knowledge and a direct observation of nature. The light, precisely directed, not only defines the volumes of Christ's body, but also underlines his suffering.

Peter Paul Rubens was a painter of the Flemish school with an international projection comparable to that of the great Italian masters of his time. His influence was decisive in the development of the European Baroque, especially in Spain. Born in Westphalia and raised in Antwerp, he received from his mother, Maria Pypelincks, a solid humanistic education that included classical languages and biblical studies, as well as early contact with prominent artists. He trained with three teachers: Tobias Verhaecht, Adam van Noort and Otto van Veen, the latter being the most influential. After completing his apprenticeship, he joined the Antwerp painters' guild in 1598 and, shortly thereafter, traveled to Italy, where he resided between 1600 and 1608, a key stage in his artistic development.