Francisco de Zurbarán exhibition opens at London's National Gallery
Updated
Updated · The Guardian · Apr 30
Francisco de Zurbarán exhibition opens at London's National Gallery
13 articles · Updated · The Guardian · Apr 30
The show is the 17th-century Spanish painter's first solo exhibition in the UK, centred on his devotional works, still lifes and a reconstruction of a major altarpiece.
It highlights Zurbarán's stark black backgrounds, sculptural treatment of fabric and objects, and contemplative style, contrasting him with contemporaries Velázquez and Murillo.
Best known for religious commissions in prosperous Seville, Zurbarán also exported more than 100 canvases to the Americas, while many Spanish monastic works were later dispersed after war and dissolution.
How did Zurbarán's studio mass-produce religious art for export to the Americas?
Was Zurbarán a devout painter or a brilliant propagandist for the Counter-Reformation?
Did Zurbarán’s late-career art truly decline, or did his style simply evolve?
Why does this Spanish master’s quiet art still feel so astonishingly modern today?
Can Zurbarán's meditative paintings offer an antidote to our age of distraction?
What secrets of texture did Zurbarán use to make painted cloth feel real?