Zurbaran: The Impossible Light…

…is the name of an excellent, fascinating exhibition in Jerez de la Frontera (until 10th March) and Cadiz, from 21st March until 28th April 2019. I saw it at the Claustros de Santo Domingo, the 13th century monastery which is now an exhibition and performance space in Jerez.  It is, in Jerez, FREE to enter and I recommend, if you are in the vicinity, that you go and see it.

Presented by Tercero efe, a quartet of photographers from Cadiz – Rafael Sanchez, Paco Rocha, Rafa Perez and Juan Martin Beardo – the exhibition is of life-size photographs which recreate the paintings of the seventeenth century Spanish master Francisco de Zurbaran using modern people and digital photographic techniques. The Zurbaran originals can be seen in the Museum of Cadiz ( see Falling Off a Ladder and Cadiz in the Rain ) which is worth a visit for all sorts of reasons, but the collections of Zurbarans and Murillos found therein are two of the best.

The originals are displayed in the Museum as if in a Church (see right and below), some of them having once hung in the Charterhouse at Cartuja, just outside Jerez. The photographers take each painting and pose modern individuals in the attitude of the subject, adding backgrounds and, sometimes, suitable clothing using digital photography techniques far removed from the simple photoshop. In particular the works attempt to recreate the stunning light and shade of the originals, the chiaroscuro which earned Zurbaran the nickname ‘the Spanish Caravaggio’. The paintings are astonishingly clear and precise, with knife sharp edges to the drapery and the photographs capture this amazingly well. They also recreate the human portraits, often to great effect ( the modern faces taking on a timeless quality ).  As the accompanying leaflet says, however, Zurbaran had only the ‘trickeries’ of paint and light to help him with his creations.

I particularly liked the wonderful version of the Angel with Incense, one of only four which feature women as their subjects (this isn’t  a criticism, there aren’t that many female subjects among the Cadiz Zurbarans and the two Angels are very fine).  Saint Hugh With Swan was another favourite – Saint Hugh was the Bishop of Lincoln.  But all of the photographs were astonishing. They make one consider the nature of art, authenticity and verisimilitude, especially given a series of additional works, which are inspired by but not recreations of the original paintings. These photographs of individuals as clerics or saints, posed in suitable attitudes and in the style of Zurbaran are created from the imaginations of the photographers.

There is an interesting video showing how the photographs were created and modern people were transformed into seventeenth century masterpieces.  I include a link below to a Youtube video (in Spanish) in which the arts presenter talks about the exhibition and there are interviews with two of the photographers.

If you would like to read more about past exhibitions in the Claustros de Santo Domingo and/or at this or previous Festivals de Jerez, see                Indomitable Women        White Villages and Desert           Festival Art 2018                  Street Art