page_title: Spanish Baroque Painting
section_title: Secular themes
hierarchical_section_title: Spanish Baroque Painting / Themes / Secular themes
context_page_description: Spanish Baroque Painting refers to the style of painting which developed in Spain throughout the 17th century and the first half of the 18th century. The style appeared in early 17th century paintings, and arose in response to Mannerist distortions and idealisation of beauty in excess, appearing in early 17th century paintings. Its main objective was, above all, to allow the viewer to easily understand the scenes depicted in the works through the use of realism, while also meeting the Catholic Church's demands for 'decorum' during the Counter-Reformation.
  The naturalism typical of the Caravaggisti in Italy, and the dramatic illumination of Tenebrism that was introduced in Spain after 1610, would go on to shape the dominant style of painting in Spain in the first half of the 17th century. The style was later influenced by Flemish Baroque painting, as the Spanish Habsburgs ruled over an area of the Netherlands during this period. The arrival of Flemish painter Peter Paul Rubens in Spain, who remained in the country from 1603 until 1628, also influenced the style.
context_section_description: Other themes, such as still life and portraiture, also developed throughout this period: a Spanish school can be recognised given the distinctive characteristics of the paintings which belong to these themes. The use of the expression "still life painting" is already documented in 1599. The severe aesthetic of Spanish still life paintings contrasts with the lavish Flemish works: from the work of Juan Sánchez Cotán onward, the Spanish still life came to be defined as having simple, geometric compositions, with hard lines and Tenebrist illumination. Sánchez Cótan gained such success that many other still life painters followed suit: these include Felipe Ramírez, Alejandro de Loarte, the Court painter Juan van der Hamen y León, Juan Fernández, el Labrador, Juan de Espinosa, Francisco Barrera, Antonio Ponce, Francisco Palacios, Francisco de Burgos Mantilla, among others. The Seville School also helped define the characteristics of the Spanish still life, with Velázquez and Zurbarán leading it. While the typical Spanish still life, while not exempt from the influences of Italian and Flemish Painting, was characterised for its moderation until the middle of the century, Flemish influences then added a richness, complexity, and even a theatricality to the paintings, including depictions of allegorical subjects. Examples of the impact of Flemish painting on the Spanish still life can be found in the flower paintings by Juan de Arellano and the Vanitas by Antonio de Pereda and Valdés Leal.    
  
  The portraiture of the Spanish Baroque period contrasted greatly from the extravagant portraits commissioned by other European courts. The figure of El Greco was decisive in the consolidation of the method used to produce portraits during this period. The Spanish portrait has its roots, on the one hand, in the Italian School (Titian), and, on the other, the Hispano-Flemish paintings of Antonio Moro and Sánchez Coello. The compositions are simple with very few embellishments, and transmit the intense humanity and honour of the subject. This, in contrast to the general trends of the Counter-Reformation, did not necessarily indicate that the subjects held great importance or were of high social status: all subjects were portrayed in the same way, whether they were kings, or street children. An example of this can be seen in The Clubfoot, also known as the Bow-legged Boy, painted by José de Ribera in 1642. Spanish Baroque portraits distinguish themselves from those of other schools by their severity; their raw portrayal of the soul of the subject; by the certain scepticism and fatalism they show towards life; and by the use of naturalism in the portrayal of the subject's features, far from the classicism generally defended by theorists. As is typical to the Counter-Reformation, the real takes precedence over the ideal. With the consolidation of Spanish portraiture was throughout the 17th century through the magnificent portraits by Velázquez, as well as those by Ribera, Juan Ribalta and Zurbarán, artists continued to reproduce the characteristics typical of the theme until the work of Goya.
  Paintings of this period containing historical or mythological themes can also be found, though to a lesser degree. Some examples of these have been signalled by collectors. In any case, in comparison with the 16th century, there is a notable increase in paintings depicting mythological subject matter which were not created exclusively for royal residences, and a production of independent works was established, logically, reached a wider audience and contained a greater variety of iconography. Landscape paintings, like portraiture, were considered a theme of lesser importance by treatise writers, who placed the depiction of human figures at the apex of the hierarchy of genres.
  In Diálogos de la pintura, the first treatise on Spanish painting, Vincenzo Carducci wrote that landscape paintings would only be suitable for display in country houses or places of leisure, but that their value would increase if they depicted religious or historical scenes. Similarly
caption: Diego Velázquez: Portrait of Sebastián de Morra, 1645, oil on canvas, 106.5 × 81.5 cm. Museo del Prado; realist, severe, 17th century Spanish portrait.
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