Dedicated followers of my posts will recall that 2024 marked the 400th anniversary of the death of the painter Luis Tristán (1580/1585 – 1624), who trained in Toledo as a disciple of El Greco. Thankfully the Museo de Bellas Artes de Sevilla has kept the celebrations going with a delightful new display of his works.
Tristán visited Seville, according to his annotations in the book Le vite de’ più eccellenti pittori, scultori e architettori by the painter and architect Vasari, which he owned after it belonged to El Greco. This possible stay may have facilitated the arrival of his works in Seville, where some of them are still preserved, such as The Trinity, signed in 1624, in the cathedral. From the convent of San Buenaventura convent are these four round canvases of Franciscan saints that have been in the collection of the Bellas Artes since the 19th century.
The expressiveness of his figures – saints, virgins and angels – his decisive brushstrokes and the vivid colours he used are reminiscent of El Greco’s work. His style was also influenced by the novelties of Italy, where Tenebrist naturalism, known to the artist during his stay in Rome, triumphed.
🎨 Luis TRISTÁN (1580/85 – 1624)
1. San Bernardino de Siena
2. San Diego de Alcalá
3. San Antonio de Padua
4. San Luis obispo de Tolosa
The Arts of Golden Age Spain and the Hispanic World 