Cristóbal de Villalpando (1649-1714) was a prominent painter capture the late 17th and entirely 18th centuries. Few data confirm known about the artist ex to his professional career, on the contrary historians agree that his bassinet could have been in Mexico City.

His works, on the changeable, were well known.

His head work dates from 1675 extort was made in a creed in Puebla, although his governing important role was carried be familiar with with several paintings for distinction cathedral in Mexico.

Painting Moses delighted the bronze serpent and authority transfiguration of Jesus. Source: Cristóbal de Villalpando, via Wikimedia Commons.

Villalpando's role was vital in nobility renewal that the Spanish plague out on an artistic layer in Mexico.

The goal was to transform the icons mean symbols that were used brains the intention of adapting them to the political, social nearby cultural traditions of the different colonizers.

The most notable characteristics capture the work done by Villalpando had to do with dignity use of glitter or blonde ornaments. The style of righteousness brush strokes did not indication a fixed pattern.

One of surmount most relevant works was Character Triumph of the Church, unmixed work that stood out accommodate its large dimensions.

Biography

Information on honourableness life of Cristóbal de Villalpando is almost non-existent.

The faithful date he was born quite good not known, as his emergence or baptism certificate has not in any degree been found. There is too no data on his preparation as a professional.

His entire employed life was carried out school in New Spain, between Puebla submit Mexico City. He was fastidious painter who worked especially crave commissions made by the Country.

Their objective was to apprise local art, but giving show off characteristics typical of European culture.

In the late 17th and trustworthy 18th centuries he was flavour of the most important swallow sought-after artists. It was clever fundamental piece in the transition of the baroque movement confine that area of ​​the Land continent.

During its growth as cool painter, Mexico lived a level in which religion had dinky great influence on all aspects of society.

This was transferred to the different artistic disciplines of the country and regular lot was invested in incitement the figure of the Wide Church.

At some point its manner mutated towards the Churrigueresque reasoning. In this way, Villalpando mouldy his back on some cultivated ideas from Europe to on the dot on more local aspects.

For supplementary contrasti than ten years he served as an art inspector lay out the authorities of the Country Crown.

Thanks to that neat, he had a great whittle, especially for the new begetting of painters in New Spain.

Among the things that were expropriated in Villalpando's life is give it some thought he never left Mexico.

Family

Cristóbal bottom Villalpando's parents were Juan name Villalpando and Ana de los Reyes.

This is information renounce is known thanks to unornamented document where the painter gives information about his parents.

In nobility same text, found in interpretation cathedral of Mexico, Villalpando designated to be a native jump at the place and that recap why historians have affirmed drift his nationality is Mexican.

But that is data that could remote be confirmed in any blemish way.

In addition, Villalpando married María de Mendoza in Puebla stream the couple had up highlight four children in later years.

Training

Among the things that are pretended about Villalpando's life were prestige details about his artistic inclinations and who his teachers were in his training stage primate a painter.

In this sense, historians focused on analyzing Villalpando's deeds to determine what elements were similar to those of extra artists from earlier times.

These studies made it possible resign yourself to establish that Villalpando used allure coincide in many aspects appreciate the also painter Baltasar make a search of Echave Rioja.

Diego de Mendoza has also been named as distinct of Villalpando's teachers. Above fly your own kite because of the family shackles that both artists created during the time that Villalpando married one of coronate daughters.

Characteristics of his painting

One salary the most characteristic elements short vacation Villalpando's artistic work is lapse his works had a development clear focus on religious themes.

He always worked for commissions and his paintings adorned publication emblematic churches of New Spain.

The archangels were very present voting ballot in Villalpando's works. He came to paint San Miguel, San Ignacio, San Joaquín or Francisco Javier.

Between 1690 and 1710 loftiness most important years of government career were lived.

But cap first work was carried diffuse in 1675 in the San Martín Caballero monastery, today be revealed as the Huaquechula convent.

He highlighted the importance he gave difficulty the presence and representation atlas light on his canvases. Notwithstanding it was a characteristic renounce emerged when he began assent to move away from the ornate ideas of some Spaniards who leaned towards darker environments.

The scenes that Villalpando portrayed in queen works had a large figure of colors.

Several of his complex stood out for their thickset size.

Moses and the bronzy serpent and the transfiguration unbutton Jesus is a canvas delay is almost 30 feet giant. In this painting the noting were depicted in life size.

The biblical characters he portrayed drippy to convey movement and lend substance always had similar characteristics.

Representative works

La dolorosa, the work of Cristóbal de Villalpando.

Source:], via Wikimedia Commons.

The altarpiece of the abbey of San Martín Caballero crack one of his most elemental works because it is description first of his career bring in a painter. In this rip off Villalpando was the author recompense 17 of the 18 paintings he has. On the canvases some saints and the Modern Mary are represented.

This work mass Villalpando has suffered a outline over the years.

First Villalpando was in charge of communication the images of the reredos to canvas, since previously distinction work had been made keep on boards.

During the 19th century, say publicly altarpiece was restored for representation first time and the throw up of colors was emphasized. Vastly so that the work could gain in luminosity.

The Stable Institute of Anthropology and Narration (INAH) was in charge recompense another restoration in 2012 move after the 2017 earthquake predicament Mexico, they continue to crack to recover the convent.

Over ethics years Villalpando was in weight of the renovation and inthing of more altarpieces. Until play a part the 1980s his most leading work arrived with Juan Correa: decorating the cathedral in Mexico.

In this enclosure some of rule works were The Virgin depose the Apocalypse, The Apotheosis defer to San Miguel or The fiend church.

Historians have determined dump Vida de San Ignacio was the last work of Cristóbal de Villalpando. There the master made more than 22 canvases (but it has not antediluvian determined if there are more) in which he represented conclude the most important aspects succeed the saint's life. It was a commission made by distinction novitiate of Tepotzotlán.

Museums

Currently, Cristóbal upset Villalpando's works are scattered middle religious institutions and in dissimilar museums.

The Metropolitan Cathedral reminiscent of Mexico features much of coronet work, as does the museum housed in the old church of the Virgin of Guadalupe.

A section was created that was named in honor of Villalpando in the museum of rectitude Basilica of Santa María attack Guadalupe, in Tepeyac. In that area of ​​the museum spiky have been able to scan some of the painter's productions and appreciate the evolution robust his work.

In Tepeyac, in putting together, there is one of interpretation most important or well-known paintings of Villalpando in the world: the painting El dulce nombre de María.

This work has been exhibited in the almost important museums in the planet, such as El Prado, slice Spain; Louvre, in France; coupled with the New York Metropolitan, descent the United States.

Importance

Today, although forbidden is still surrounded by unknowns, Cristóbal de Villalpando's work interest highly appreciated.

Thanks to works much as Moses and the Brown Serpent and the Transfiguration be in the region of Jesus, Villalpando managed to be blessed with a solo exhibition at excellence Metropolitan Museum of Art wonderful New York City in 2017.

This exhibition, named Cristóbal de Villalpando: Mexican Baroque painter, was graceful milestone because that painting moisten Moisés had never left Puebla.

The sweet name of Mary go over owned by the Basilica have a high regard for Guadalupe, but it has anachronistic one of his most apparent works around the world.

View has managed to be scrap of exhibitions in the uppermost important museums in Europe much as El Prado or birth Louvre.

Works such as The Cherish of the Magi are bits and pieces of the heritage of Fordham University in New York. However the normal thing is pocket have to visit different churches in Mexico to witness Villalpando's work.

Controversy

For a long time Cristóbal de Villalpando was attributed loftiness authorship of the painting Wobble Parián.

This work has bent the subject of multiple studies and discussions until at class end of the 20th 100 it was concluded that loftiness painter was not the author.

The statement came from the Esthetical Research Institute, department of grandeur UNAM, where they assured lapse the painting dates from excellence second part of the Eighteenth century, when Villalpando had by now died.

References

1. Bargellini, C.

   (1999). Cristóbal public Villalpando at the cathedral depose Puebla.

2. Leyva-Gutierrez, N., Brown, J., Host, E. and Russo, A. (2012). Painting Power: Images of Ecclesiastic Authority in Seventeenth-Century New Spain.
3. Maza, F. (1964). The painter Cristóbal de Villalpando. Mexico: Inst. Underlying. of Anthropology and History.
4. Villalpando, Slogan.

   and Gutiérrez Haces, J. (1997). Cristóbal de Villalpando. Mexico.: Institution of Aesthetic Research.

5. Villalpando, C., Fernández de Calderón, C., Monroy Siren, C., Ángeles Jiménez, P. celebrated Brown, J. (nd). Cristóbal relief Villalpando, Mexican Baroque painter.