Saturday, August 21, 2021

14 Works, July 14th. is Juan Rodríguez Juárez's day, his story, illustrated with footnotes #191

Circle of Juan Rodríguez Juárez (Mexican, 1675–1728)
Indian wedding , c. 1730
Oil on Canvas
101.6 x 144.8 cm. (40 x 57 in.)
Private collection

Juan Rodríguez Juárez (b. Mexico City 1675 - d. 1728) was an artist in the Viceroyalty of New Spain. He was a member of a Spanish family long noted for their accomplishments in the world of painting. His brother was Nicolás Rodríguez Juárez (1667 - 1734), who was like himself, an established painter in New Spain. 

Juan Rodriguez Juárez (Mexican, 1675–1728)
Otomi Indians on the Way to the Fair, circa 1725
Oil paint on canvas
height: 32.5 in, 82.5500 cm; image width: 41 in, 104.1400 cm
Denver Art Museum

Here the Native American family is identified as Otomi, a group still living in the area of Hidalgo and Tlaxcala north and east of Mexico City. The family is shown on their way to the market with the father carrying laying hens in a cage on his back and fighting cock in his arms. The woman carries eggs in a painted lacquerware gourd bowl, a type of container produced since PreColumbian times in the Michoacan area of Mexico, and wears a rebozo, or traditional shawl, dyed with the distinctive orange-red of the cochineal (a cactus bug) which was exported in great quantities to Europe during the colonial era. The young boy eats a rolled up tortilla. More on this painting

Juan Rodriguez Juárez (Mexican, 1675–1728)
Burial of indians, c. 1730
Oil on Canvas
101.9 x 144.1 cm. (40.1 x 56.7 in.)
Private collection

Juan Rodriguez Juarez (Mexican 1675-1728)
Escena pastoral
Oil on canvas
37¼ x 44¼ in. (94.6 x 112.4 cm.)
Private collection

The subject matter remains largely unknown. A lovely young woman is attended by two other women, one of whom, offers a casket of jewelry; to the figure's left stand a silver pitcher and a compote of fruit and, perhaps a change of clothes are depicted as well. The figure is seated in a fountain or bath and looks at us. Dr. Marcus Burke, scholar on Mexican colonial art, suggests the story of Vertumnus and Pomona found in Ovid's Metamorphoses, as the source for this iconography but the Ovid classic does not make a reference to jewels, as Marcus points out. Another possibility may be an eighteenth-century depiction of Venus for a very religiously orthodox society where conventions required that modesty be observed--including in art. Nudes were not banned in colonial art and appeared in religious subjects such as images of Adam and Eve, but this image is a lovely conundrum defying a definitive explanation. More on this painting

He was the son of Antonio Rodríguez (1636–91), a notable Spanish painter. His maternal grandfather José Juárez (1617 - 1661) and maternal great great grandfather Luis Juárez (1585 - 1639) were also notable painters in Spanish history and prominent in the Baroque era.

Juan Rodríguez Juárez
Adoration of the Kings, c. 1655
Oil on canvas
RegioNational Art's Museum, Mexico

The Adoration of the Magi (anglicized from the Matthean Vulgate Latin section title: A Magis adoratur) is the name traditionally given to the subject in the Nativity of Jesus in art in which the three Magi, represented as kings, especially in the West, having found Jesus by following a star, lay before him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh, and worship him. The Adoration of the Magi

Juan Rodríguez Juárez
Flight into Egypt, c. 1720
Oil on canvas
Regional Museum of Querétaro

THE REST ON THE FLIGHT TO EGYPT. The scene is based not on any incident in the Bible itself, but on a body of tales or legends that had grown up in the early Middle Ages around the Bible story of the Holy Family fleeing into Egypt for refuge on being warned that Herod the Great was seeking to kill the Christ Child. According to the legend, Joseph and Mary paused on the flight in a grove of trees; the Holy Child ordered the trees to bend down so that Joseph could take fruit from them, and then ordered a spring of water to gush forth from the roots so that his parents could quench their thirst. This basic story acquired many extra details during the centuries. More on THE REST ON THE FLIGHT TO EGYPT

Mary with Jesus in her arms rides the donkey in the center of the picture while nursing it. On his right side, San José observes the moment and holds his cane with his right hand. Two angels pull the ropes of the donkey. 

Juan Rodríguez Juárez
San Estanislao de Kostka
Oil on canvas
Museo Nacional de Arte, Ciudad de México, Mexico

Stanisław Kostka S.J. (28 October 1550 – 15 August 1568) was a Polish novice of the Society of Jesus. He is venerated in the Catholic Church as Saint Stanislaus Kostka (as distinct from his namesake, the 11th-century Bishop of Kraków Stanislaus the Martyr).

He was born at Rostkowo, Przasnysz County, Poland, and died at Rome during the night of 14–15 August 1568. He entered the Society of Jesus in Rome on his 17th birthday and is said to have foretold his death a few days before it occurred.

On a rectangular canvas, Juan Ródriguez Juarez presents the Jesuit saint according to his traditional iconography, as a beardless young man, dressed in the black Jesuit cassock. He appears centered in the composition, carrying the Child Jesus in his arms, under a break of glory and surrounded by images of angels. The figures are related to each other through gestures and looks, as well as through the compositional diagonal that links them. This episode takes place in an ocher-colored plane, which shows a discreet and expressive manner, representative of devotional painting. More on this painting

Juan Rodríguez Juárez (1675 - 1728)
Jesus with the Sick Woman
Oil on wood oil on panel
Height: 2,560 mm (100.78 in); Width: 1,540 mm (60.62 in)
Museo Nacional de Arte,  Mexico City

In this piece, the artist illustrates the biblical account that relates how, when Jesus was teaching in the synagogue one Saturday, he called out to a sick woman, promising to heal her. When the head of the synagogue pointed out to the onlooker that curing people on a Saturday was an offense, Jesus replied "Is there any of you who doesn't release his ox or ass from the manger on Saturdays and take it to drink?" Jesus appears at the center of the composition looking kindly at a woman who is kneeling at his right-hand side with a thankful look, while a dog, symbolizing loyalty, rests its front paws on her. Jesus is dressed in red, the color of the blood that he is to spill for the sins of man, and blue, betokening heavenly love, justice, nobility and loyalty. More on this painting

Juan Rodríguez Juárez  (1675–1728)
The Entombment of Christ, circa 1702
Oil and gold on copper
Height: 25.9 cm (10.1 in); Width: 19.7 cm (7.7 in)
Metropolitan Museum of Art 

The burial of Jesus refers to the burial of the body of Jesus after crucifixion, described in the New Testament. According to the canonical gospel accounts, he was placed in a tomb by a man named Joseph of Arimathea. In art, it is often called the Entombment of Christ. More on The Entombment

Juan Rodríguez Juárez was a versatile artist who excelled as a painter of altarpieces as well as portraits and small devotional works such as the Entombment of Christ. This work displays the brilliant color and vigorous modeling characteristic of the earliest phase of his career. The composition derives from a Flemish print, but the painter has altered it to heighten the impact of Christ’s seminude body, which is presented as the focus of prayer and meditation. The artist’s signature, conspicuously inscribed on the tomb, also signals his devotion. More on this painting

Attributed to Juan Rodríguez Juárez (Mexican, 1675–1728)
The Martyrdom of Saint Sebastian, c. 1705
Oil on canvas
43.5 x 32.52 in. (110.5 x 82.6 cm.)
Private collection

Saint Sebastian (died c. 288 AD) was an early Christian saint and martyr. Sebastian had prudently concealed his faith, but in 286 was detected. Diocletian reproached him for his betrayal, and he commanded him to be led to a field and there to be bound to a stake so that archers from Mauritania would shoot arrows at him. "And the archers shot at him till he was as full of arrows as an urchin is full of pricks, and thus left him there for dead." Miraculously, the arrows did not kill him.

Sebastian later stood by a staircase where the emperor was to pass and harangued Diocletian for his cruelties against Christians. This freedom of speech, and from a person whom he supposed to have been dead, greatly astonished the emperor; but, recovering from his surprise, he gave orders for his being seized and beat to death with cudgels, and his body thrown into the common sewer. A pious lady, called Lucina, admonished by the martyr in a vision, got it privately removed, and buried it in the catacombs at the entrance of the cemetery of Calixtus, where now stands the Basilica of St. Sebastian. More on St. Sebastian

Attributed to Juan Rodríguez Juárez (Mexico, 1675-1728)
Miracles of Saint Salvador de Horta, circa 1720
Oil on canvas
65 3/4 x 55 1/2 x 2 3/4 in. (167.01 x 140.97 x 6.99 cm)
Los Angeles County Museum of Art

Salvador of Horta was a Spanish Franciscan lay brother from the region of Catalonia in Spain, who was celebrated as a miracle worker during his lifetime. He is honored as a saint by the Catholic Church. More on Salvador of Horta

Juan Rodriguez Juarez, Mexican, 1667-1734
St. Rose of Lima with Christ Child and Donor, circa 1700
Oil paint on canvas
height: 66 in, 167.6400 cm; width: 42 in, 106.6800 cm
Denver Art Museum

St. Rose of Lima (1586-1617), the first saint born in the New World, lived her entire life in Lima, Peru. Known for her Christian devotion as a child, she entered a Dominican convent (seen in the background) at an early age. In the painting, the band of rose thorns she wore around her forehead in imitation of the Crown of Thorns is visible. She had a particular devotion to the Christ Child, as evidenced in this painting which is based on a famous one by Murillo now in the Lázaro Galdiano Museum in Madrid. In addition, the accomplished modeling of the white fabrics creates a strong sense of volume and recalls the works of another great Spanish artist, Zurburan.

Rodríguez Juárez has superimposed a portrait of a donor figure in the lower right corner of the composition. The portrait depicts a young woman, probably named for the saint, wearing an elegant dress decorated with embroidery and lace and elaborate jewelry of gold, pearls and emeralds, both typical of the upper classes in Spain and Mexico around 1700. Donna Pierce, 2015

As with most artists in New Spain during the late Baroque period, Juan Rodríguez Juárez produced religious art (See above). 

Juan Rodriguez Juarez (Mexican)
Portrait of Don Francisco José Pérez de Lanciego y Eguilaz, c. 1714
Oil on canvas
height: 85 3/4 in, 217.8050 cm; width: 53 3/8 in, 135.5725 cm
Denver Art Museum

In addition to being a very individualized portrait of the Archbishop of Mexico this painting illustrates the wealth of the church and showcases symbols associated with the sitters role in the church. The cleric wears a gold necklace with a cross, possibly set with stones, and luxurious vestments. In front of him is a gold and silver processional crucifix and on the table to his right is a mitre hat, which indicates his rank in the Catholic church. The archbishop is shown with his nephew, pulling back the green velvet curtain, who accompanied him when traveling from Spain to Mexico. The cartouche in the lower left corner tells us information about about the Archbishop. Julie Wilson Frick, 2017

Juan Rodríguez Juárez  (1675–1728)
Portrait of the Viceroy, the Duke of Linares, c. circa 1717
Oil on canvas
Height: 2,080 mm (81.88 in); Width: 1,280 mm (50.39 in)
Museo Nacional de Arte,  Mexico City

The portrayal of such an elevated personage was entrusted to one of the best painters in México City, who, in addition to being respected for his handling of religious topics, was an outstanding exponent of other genres as attested to by the high quality of this piece. The work is also noteworthy for its introduction of features that bear witness to the transition from local pictorial fashions to the new Frenchified style imposed at court by Philip V. Though it was customary to paint the portraits of viceroys, it was crucial that the portrayal of the Duke of Linares stress the subject’s authority and political experience. Hence the biographical inscription, the French-influenced clothing, the commander's baton, the table, the clock and the drapery with the coat of arms all signal the dignity and prestige of the subject. When the finished work was displayed, it fulfilled its purpose of commemorating and exalting the crown representative, besides encouraging the painting of other portraits. It likewise seems probable that this work was displayed at the obsequies in 1718 organized by the Carmelites of Saint Sebastian on the occasion of the Duke of Linares' death, in order to honor him as a benefactor of their order. This portrait remained in the Saint Sebastian Convent for some 142 years. When the latter building was abandoned in 1860, it passed to the San Carlos Academy. In 1964 it entered the collection of the San Diego Viceregal Painting Gallery, passing to the MUNAL 36 years later. More on this painting

He also followed the trend of painting portraits of high officials, such as Viceroy Linares and the local nobility. These works followed European models, with symbols of rank and titles either displayed unattached in the outer portions or worked into another element of the paintings such as curtains. Rodríguez Juárez painted "an extraordinary self-portrait, symptomatic of the changing role of the artist in the colony in the eighteenth century."

Juan Rodríguez Juárez
16 Casta paintings
Racial classifications in Spanish colonies in the Americas
 Oil on canvas
148 cm x 104 cm (58 1/4 inches x 40 15/16 inches).
Breamore House, Hampshire, England

Caste painting with all 16 combinations: 1. Spanish with India, Mestizo, 2. Mestizo with Spanish, Castizo, 3. Castizo with Spanish, Spanish, 4. Spanish with Blackberry, Mulatto, 5. Mulatto with Spanish, Moorish, 6. Moorish with Spanish, Chinese, 7. Chinese with India, Skip back, 8. Jump back with Mulata, Lobo, 9. Wolf with China, Gíbaro (Jíbaro), 10. Gíbaro with Mulata, Albarazado, 11. Albarazado with Negra, Cambujo, 12. Cambujo with India, Sambiaga (Zambiaga), 13. Sambiago with Loba, Calpamulato, 14 Calpamulto with Cambuja, Tente in the air, 15. Tente in the air with Mulata, I don't understand you, 16. I don't understand you with India, Torna back. More on this painting

A set of early casta paintings (ca. 1715) (See above) is attributed to him; they are in a private collection at Breamore House, Hampshire, England. Separate canvases show Mexican racial mixtures in a hierarchical order, with Spanish-Indian mixtures coming first, followed by Spanish-African mixtures, then further permutations of racially mixed couples and offspring. They are as follows: Spaniard and India produce a Mestizo; Spaniard and Mestiza produce a Castizo; Castizo and Spanish woman produce Spaniard. Spaniard and Negra produce a Mulato; Spaniard and Mulata produce a Morisca; Spaniard and Morisca produce an Albino. From Mulato and Mestiza produce a Torna atrás. From Negro and India, Lobo ("wolf"); From Indio and Loba produce a crinkly haired (grifo) "Hold-Yourself-In-Midair" (tente en el air); From Lobo and India produce a Torna atrás ("throw back"); From Mestizo and India produce a Coyote; Mexican Indians; Otomí Indians en route to the fair; Barbarian Indians (Indios Bárbaros). More on Juan Rodríguez Juárez




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06 Works, October 27h. is Sigrid Hjertén's day, her story, illustrated with footnotes #259

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