Luis de Morales, Known as ‘El Divino’ (Badajoz 1509 – 1586), workshop of The Pietà with Saint John Oil on panel (82 x 65 cm / framed 109 x 92 cm) The panel is in good condition, with restorations and cracks clearly visible in the images. Gilt and lacquered wooden frame, in good condition. The complete details of this work are available directly at the following - LINK - We present this intense Pietà executed on panel, the work of a painter from the late Spanish Renaissance who refers to the famous iconographic model created by Luis de Morales, known as El Divino (Badajoz 1509–1586), a subject reprised by the artist and then by his flourishing workshop in numerous versions [1]. This is an extraordinary work, in which the author demonstrates incredible realism and emotional depth in the interpretation of the Madonna and Christ, accompanied by Saint John the Evangelist. In an extremely devout Spain, Luis de Morales stands out as one of the painters most interested in the dramatic aspects of Christ's life, from his sorrowful journey of the Passion to his death. This devout subject, the Pietà, so frequent in Christian art, is renewed in Morales' art with enormous expressive force; not for nothing was the artist nicknamed the Divine, and not only for the creation of a devout iconography in line with the spirituality of the time, but also for the intrinsic intensity of his religious paintings. The representation, of great dramatic effect, shows Christ, immediately after being taken down from the cross, gently received in the arms of the Virgin. The intense maternal compassion is also evident in the expression on her face which, always aware of the son's destiny, exudes suffering, melancholy but also serene resignation. Christ, abandoned in the maternal embrace, shows an emaciated and painful face, made even more spectral by the half-open mouth. The tree of the cross looms over the figures, highlighted by an evocative monochrome dark background, which is contrasted by the three figures with strong lighting. The devotional cut typical of Counter-Reformation painting is evident in Morales' painting, accentuated by a style that refers both to Italian painting for the search for and effects of chiaroscuro, but also to Flemish and German painting for the strongly accentuated dramatic tones. The work shows a strong physical and psychological characterization of the characters, rendered by the marked chiaroscuro effects and the plastic construction of the figures, also using a sfumato technique, which show the primary influence of Leonardo da Vinci, Raphael and Sebastiano del Piombo. On the other hand, his Flemish training is evident in the anatomical modeling and in the treatment of the folds of the Virgin's robe, which retain the clarity of the Nordic pictorial tradition. [1] We can mention, among the most beautiful versions similar to our composition: - Fig.1 Luis de Morales (c. 1520-1586), La Piedad, c. 1568, Oil on panel 72 x 50 cm.
Bilbao Fine Arts Museum (https://bilbaomuseoa.eus/obra-de-arte/la-piedad-82-2/) - Fig.2 Luis de Morales, La Piedad, c. 1560, Oil on panel 126 x 98 cm.
Royal Academy of Fine Arts of San Fernando in Madrid (https://www.academiacolecciones.com/pinturas/inventario.php?id=0612) - Fig.3 Luis de Morales, La Piedad, 1565 - 1570, Oil on panel 42 x 30 cm
Museo del Prado (https://www.museodelprado.es/en/the-collection/art-work/pieta/58803f48-3ae7-40ce-9811-ee3e878f1a81) - Fig.4 Luis de Morales, Triptych of the Pietà St John and St Mary Magdalene, c.1570, Oil on panel 84 x 131 cm., 
Museo del Prado (https://www.museodelprado.es/en/the-collection/art-work/triptych-of-the-pieta-st-john-and-st-mary/b6...) ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: The painting is sold with a certificate of authenticity and a descriptive iconographic sheet. We take care of and organize the transport of the purchased works, both for Italy and abroad, through professional and insured carriers. If you wish to see this or other works in person, we will be happy to welcome you in our new gallery in Riva del Garda, in Viale Giuseppe Canella 18. We are waiting for you! Contact us for any information or to organize a visit, we will be happy to answer you. Follow us also on: https://www.instagram.com/galleriacastelbarco/?hl=it https://www.facebook.com/galleriacastelbarco/