Miguel Cabrera Circle

Circle of MIGUEL CABRERA, (Mexico, 1695 - 1768).
"San Pablo".
Oil on panel.
Measurements: 28 x 22.50 cm; 47 x 40 cm (frame).

With a lost look and with a serious and reflective gesture, the protagonist of this work is presented as a wise man, by his experience and by the book he holds in his hands. In addition, at his feet, he holds a staff, which indicates his power of command and authority. Seated in a landscape of ochre and earth tones, it is possible that it is the representation of Saint Paul, besides his usual red mantle, and his beard are usual iconographic characteristics in the representation of this saint.

Miguel Cabrera was one of the greatest exponents of Novo-Hispanic baroque painting. Born in the town of Tlalixtac, in Oaxaca, he dedicated his work to religious themes and especially to the figure of the Virgin of Guadalupe, and on this last theme he wrote "Maravilla americana y conjunto de raras maravillas observadas con la dirección de las reglas del arte de la pintura" (American marvel and set of rare marvels observed with the direction of the rules of the art of painting) (1756). Among his most outstanding works are those he made for some chapels of the cathedral of Mexico City, among them the sacristy, which houses in one of its walls a "Woman of the Apocalypse". Cabrera was also the chamber painter of Archbishop José Manuel Rubio y Salinas, and in 1753 he founded the first painting academy in Mexico. He also painted some portraits, such as that of Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz (1751). Miguel Cabrera was especially splendid in his small and medium-sized works, both on canvas and copper. His warm and vivid colors, unparalleled in the Novo-Hispanic school of the 18th century, stand out, as well as his firm drawing and the poetic expressions of the faces of his Virgins, saints and even portraits of characters of his time. He was a very prolific artist, and had a very large workshop with apprentices specialized in specific tasks. When composing his works, he used to base himself, sometimes literally, on prints of Spanish and Flemish origin, a common practice not only in America but also in Europe. On the other hand, we see in his production a strong influence of Murillo, which makes us think that he must have worked in the workshop of the Rodriguez Juarez brothers, then at the height of their glory, in Mexico City. Currently his works are kept in several of the main Mexican temples, as well as in the Museo del Virreinato in Tepozotlán, the Museo de América in Madrid, the Museo de El Carmen in San Ángel (Mexico City), the Museo Nacional de las Intervenciones in Coyoacán, the Pinacoteca Virreinal in Mexico City, the Dallas Museum of Art and the Museo de Santa Mónica in Puebla.