Flemish school; first half of the 17th century.

Flemish school; first half of the 17th century.
"The Resurrection".
Oil on copper.
It has Spanish frame of the XVIII century.
Measurements: 22,5 x 16 cm; 27 x 21,5 cm (frame).
The author has represented the theme of the Resurrection of Christ: in a break of luminous glory, the monumental figure of Christ rises exultant on the sky. Accompanied by an angel who contemplates the soldiers who have been represented in the lower area, some of them being portrayed asleep as the biblical story says and oblivious to the event that is taking place. The image frames the usual representation of the scene, since it presents the tomb. Jesus no longer belongs to the earthly plane, something that shows us this abandonment of the mortal and his transition to the divine, fulfilling his message and the designs of his father. Despite the contrast between the golden tones of the upper area and the dark colors of the earthly plane, the image reveals a certain detail, which can be seen especially in the gestures of each of the characters that make up the scene.
The Resurrection, and with it, the triumph over death and sin of the Son of God, is the capital theme of the Catholic religion, and therefore inspired throughout history a varied and complex iconography. Normally Christ appears, with the red mantle and the banner of Christianity as we see here, emerging from the broken tomb, inside a crypt. However, here the painter seeks a greater theatricality, representing the scene in a background where you can guess a landscape developed in depth located behind the angel figure. The number of soldiers is also multiplied, depicted with dynamism, in violent foreshortenings. This taste for scenography and for the triumphal representation of Catholic dogmas is very typical of the Flemish and Spanish Baroque, in a fully counter-reformist sense. On the other hand, the marked foreshortening, the dynamism of the figures and the composition, and above all the large and sculptural figures, are related to the Flemish Baroque.