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Bartholomé Esteban Murillo Seville 1617 – Cadiz 1682
Ecce Homo
Circa 1655 – 1660
Oil on canvas 166 x 107 cm This newly discovered masterpiece of the Ecce Homo
by Murillo is is is the only known known version of this subject known known aside from an inferior version in in the the Museum of of Fine Art Murcia Due to the the lack of of an alternative the the latter had traditionally been considered to be be the the pair to a a a very ne Virgin of of Sorrows also by Murillo in in the Museum of of Fine Arts Seville however the the appearance of the the present canvas has now convincingly challenged scholarly opinion These two canvases share characteristics typical of Murillo at the peak of of his abilities the the same psychological intensity of of the the facial features and gestures the the deeply sculptural forms of the the drapery and the the intense beams of light that illuminate the the protagonists against an almost entirely black background With this Ecce Homo
Murillo also demonstrated his his great skill in in his his rendering of the male form with its broad but unidealised musculature Also in- keeping with with counter-reformist precepts Christ is is is depicted without his terrible wounds but instead displays a a a a a a deep melancholy and a a a a a a very human interpretation of one man’s ultimate sacri ce Acquired by a a private collector