The Virgin standing, looking up to the right
1645 - 1650.Not on display
This drawing, probably a fragment of a finished composition for a Calvary, depicts the Virgin in a pronounced contrapposto position, looking to her right and slightly upwards, where she once saw her Son on the cross. The technique of this drawing is quintessentially the style of Cano: a slight preparatory sketch, followed by distinct contours and a wide range of lights and shadows magnificently rendered by Cano’s brush. The good condition of the drawing, despite having been trimmed, permits a full appreciation of the artist’s mastery of ink wash.
The monumental character achieved in this drawing entails both visual and psychological effects. The Virgin’s grief ennobles her. Isolated from the narrative context of the Calvary, she becomes a model of contemplation. The ease with which the brush builds the volume and weight of the figure reminds us that Cano, in addition to being a painter and an architect, was an accomplished sculptor. Each stroke of ink defines a plane or a touch of light, revealing Cano’s understanding of three-dimensional form. Cano’s method of draping the human figure in abundant volumes of clothing suggests the possible influence of Goltzius’s prints depicting the Virtues and the Vices, engraved by Matham and Saenredam. Based on several stylistic similarities between this drawing and a number of the standing figures in the Getafe altarpiece, this work can be dated 1645–50, just before Cano’s initial return to Granada.
Veliz, Zahira, Alonso Cano (1601-1667): dibujos, Santander, Fundación Marcelino Botín, 2009, p.220-221; nº 24
