Juan Fernández de Navarrete

Baptism of Jesus , 1567

Juan Fernández de Navarrete (* around 1526 in Logroño , Spain ; † March 28, 1579 in Toledo , Spain), also "el Mudo" (the mute), was a Spanish painter of the late Renaissance .

biography

Juan Fernández de Navarrete, known as "el Mudo" because he was deaf and dumb, was born to wealthy parents in Logroño. At the age of three he lost the ability to speak. His entire life should be characterized by physical ailments. He started drawing as a child. A brother of the Jerónimo de la Estrella monastery near Logroño, where his parents had taken him care of, Fray Vicente de Santo Domingo , taught and encouraged the young painter.

In 1566 he restored a painting by Titian in El Escorial , whose pupil he is said to have been in Italy according to unsecured traditions. He is said to have got his nickname Spanish Titian because he mastered his color technique and knowledge. The Spanish King Philip II called him two years later as court painter when he recognized his talent and abilities. Most of his work was dedicated to the Escorial.

Due to an illness that lasted for several years, Navarrete was forced to stay away from the court. It was not until 1571 that he was able to return to El Escorial near Madrid , where he created the most important part of his work. In 1576 he was commissioned by the king to furnish the basilica of San Lorenzo el Real de El Escorial with over thirty paintings, of which Navarrete was only able to complete eight altarpieces. He died in Toledo on March 28, 1579.

His first pictures still preserved there (St. Jerome from 1569, the Martyrdom of Jacobus the Elder, 1571) followed the stricter style of the older Italian and Spanish schools, which also included the earlier painted Baptism of Christ (Madrid Museum) shows. Titian's influence is only revealed more strongly in the birth of Christ, a holy family and a flagellation of Christ in the Escorial (1571–1575). The Escorial also has eight pictures of apostles and evangelists. Navarrete had a great influence on the technical development of the Spanish school.

His work

Only biblical and religious motifs are found in Navarrete's work. In this subject, however, he developed the power of realistic representations and found a special synthesis of mystical inspiration and characteristic, lively representation of his figures. The Spanish Chiaro-Scuro (light-dark painting) was already indicated in the lighting. The Venetian influence reached Spain via Navarrete . The largest collection of his works is in El Escorial. Further works can be found in the Prado Museum in Madrid.

Selection of works

• Finding of the dead St. Lawrence., Before 1575, fresco. Escorial (near Madrid), Claustro Alto.
• Altar of saints: The saints Andrew and Jacobus., 1577, canvas, 235 × 185 cm, Escorial (near Madrid), Real Monasterio, S. Lorenzo.
• Altar of saints: Saints Barnabas and Martin, 1576–79, canvas, 235 × 185 cm. Escorial (near Madrid), Real Monasterio, S. Lorenzo.
• Altar of saints: Saints Bartholomew and Thomas, 1576–79, canvas, 235 × 185 cm. Escorial (near Madrid), Real Monasterio, S. Lorenzo.
• Holy Altar: The Saints Johannes d. E. and Matthäus, 1576–79, canvas, 235 × 185 cm. Escorial (near Madrid), Real Monasterio, S. Lorenzo.
• Altar of saints: Saints Luke and Mark, 1576–79, canvas, 235 × 185 cm. Escorial (near Madrid), Real Monasterio, S. Lorenzo.
• Altar of saints: Saints Peter and Paul, 1577, canvas, 235 × 185 cm, Escorial (near Madrid), Real Monasterio, S. Lorenzo.
• Altar of saints: Saints Philip and Jacobus, 1576–79, canvas, 235 × 185 cm. Escorial (near Madrid), Real Monasterio, S. Lorenzo.
• Altar of saints: Saints Simon and Jude, 1576–79, canvas, 235 × 185 cm. Escorial (near Madrid), Real Monasterio, S. Lorenzo.

Web links

• Entry in the Catholic Encyclopedia , Robert Appleton Company, New York 1913.
• Enciclopedia Católica: Fray Vicente de Santo Domingo