With Velázquez and El Greco, Zurbarán (1598-1664) is undoubtedly one of the best known seventeenth-century Spanish painters. Zurbarán, who for the Romantics represented Spanish monastic ascetism, has come to the forefront once again in the XX century, thanks party to Cubism, which contributed to rediscovery of the great plastic qualities of his work. Indeed, if the simplicity of his artistic preparation reflects a melancholy and somewhat unrefined temperament, and his painting contains a rustic accent, in his work there is a preponderance of plastic values that respond to a concern with giving a concrete form to the construction of the spirit. Professor Santiago Alcolea provides us with an overview of the whole Zurbarán?s artistic career structured into four periods marked by important events that led to major changes in his style.
