Christ on the Cross

Sebastián López de Arteaga is one of the most enigmatic figures in the world of neo-Hispanic painting. A native of Seville, he reached New Spain, where he breathed new life into Viceregal art, in 1640. Probably influenced by the chiaroscuro painting of José de Ribera (1590-1652), Arteaga used strongly contrastive lighting to add drama to his compositions, as can be seen in this work, in which the intensely lit figure of Christ contrasts with the dark background. In this moving scene, we see the dying Jesus wearing only a scant loincloth and crucified with three nails, as was customary in depictions of the crucifixion. His beseeching face is tilted skyward as he seems to be uttering the phrase recounted in the gospels: My God, my God, why hast Thou forsaken me?". His body follows a delicate curving line in apparent contrast with the harshness of the bones and muscles. The lower background is occupied by an interesting cluster of geometrical outlines representing Jerusalem. Another painting on the same subject by López de Arteaga presently hangs in the Museum of the Basílica of Our Lady of Guadalupe. It should be stressed that the two works differ so much from each other that, if they were not both signed by the painter, it would be very difficult to attribute them to the same brush. Such variation is characteristic of this artist, who varied the style of his paintings to suit the taste of his clients. This work passed to the MUNAL from the San Diego Viceregal Painting Gallery in the year 2000.