Spanish school, 17th century. "Jesus before Herod" and "Ecce Homo". Pair of oil paintings on...

Spanish school, 17th century. "Jesus before Herod" and "Ecce Homo". Pair of oil paintings on canvas. Measurements: 84 x 105 cm; 102 x 122 cm (frame).

Spanish school, 17th century.
"Jesus before Herod" and "Ecce Homo".
Pair of oil paintings on canvas.
Measurements: 84 x 105 cm; 102 x 122 cm (frame).
These are two scenes linked to the biblical episodes of the Passion: the Ecce Homo and the presentation of Christ before Herod. Stylistically and formally they are Baroque paintings, clearly influenced by the Flemish school. The expressiveness of the faces demanding justice and the mocking faces of the soldiers, as well as the naturalistic modelling of the bodies, reveal the influence of Rubens. In the upper canvas, Jesus is introduced into Herod's court. The latter is moved and uncomfortable by the historical decision he has to make. The episode is narrated in Luke's Gospel: after being judged by the Sanhedrin, Jesus is sent to the Roman governor Pontius Pilate, who, on learning that he was a Galilean, understood that the case would be under the jurisdiction of Herod Antipas. The architectural background, based on steps, marble columns and arches, organises the space in which the figures interact with each other to form dynamic groups. It thus offers different levels of reading and focuses of attention between the anecdotal anecdotes of the secondary plots and the central drama. The other painting follows the same compositional model, with the architectural enclosure containing the figures and arranging the groups. Barabbas and Christ are shown before an upset crowd, and all the arms are raised in unison to point to Christ, advancing the episode of the Crucifixion. The concentrated expressiveness of each of the figures is remarkable, not only in the faces but also in the muscles under tension and the drama of the gestures.