Saint John the Baptist

Painting representing Saint John the Baptist, belonging to a set of five paintings of identical dimensions – Saint Joachim, Saint Anne, Saint Mary Magdalene and Saint Joseph - executed by André Gonçalves, between the years 1750 and 1760. The exhibition of the isolated figure stripped of its attributes and without any historical reference, as well as with long garments in classical style, reveals the neo-classic sense of André Gonçalves’ painting. The colour, open and bright, as well as the simplified scenery, are also very interesting characteristics of the painter in his final phase of work. The only paintings which present clear attributes are Saint Joseph with the lily flower and Saint John the Baptist pointing to the Lamb of God.a