Novo-Hispanic school or Guatemala; XVIII century.

Novo-Hispanic school or Guatemala; XVIII century.
"Ecce homo".
Oil on canvas. Relined.
Presents fissure in the canvas.
Measurements: 85 x 71 cm; 97 x 83 cm (frame).
Of simple and clear composition, with the bust of Christ in the foreground, the absence of narrative details deepens the expressive power of the image. The marked features of this Ecce homo enhance the expressiveness of the face. Blood drips from the crown of thorns that girdles his forehead. The red cloth, a color associated with passion and sacrifice, leaves his muscular torso naked and vulnerable. The modeling of light and shadow defines the forms and volumes, especially expressive in the treatment of the red cloak that covers her hips and thorax. An intimate image that conveys the extreme loneliness of Jesus at the moment when he is exposed to be judged and condemned.
Aesthetically, the work is reminiscent of some of the models of the painter Tomás de Merlo (Guatemala, 1694-1739).
It is worth mentioning that, during the Spanish colonial domination, a mainly religious painting was developed, aimed at Christianizing the indigenous peoples. The local painters were modeled on Spanish works, which they followed literally in terms of types and iconography. The most frequent models were the harquebusier angels and the triangular virgins, however, it was not until the first years of the 19th century, already in times of independence and political opening of some of the colonies, that several artists began to represent a new model of painting with its own identity.