By:
Roberto Díaz , Alfonso Pérez Sánchez, Carlos Martín
Alonso Cano is considered to be one of the great all-rounders of the Spanish Baroque, working in painting, sculpture, altarpiece art and (albeit to a lesser extent) architecture. He left a lasting influence, especially in Andalusia. Cano's father designed and assembled altarpieces and the artist learned from him the rudiments of the trade. In 1614, his family moved to Seville where he received most of his education. He served as an apprentice in the workshop of the artist and theoretician Francisco Pacheco, and there met Diego Velázquez, with whom he maintained a close friendship over the years. He is also believed to have worked under Juan Martínez Montañés, who left an undeniable influence on his sculpture. He gained renown both as a painter and as a sculptor and in 1638 he moved to Madrid to work for the Count Duke of Olivares as a painter and valet. There, his style was transformed by the influence of Velázquez and his studies of the many works by Venetian painters that had been held in the royal collections since the sixteenth century. This led to a certain Italianization in his approach, combined with other influences such as the transparencies of Van Dyck. In 1652 he returned to Granada, where he was appointed to the post of official painter at the cathedral and executed the monumental series of paintings of the Virgin Mary adorning the main chapel. Although originally designed to be a mausoleum for the Habsburg monarchy, this royal site had been superseded by the construction of the Monastery of El Escorial.
Cano led a dramatic and eventful life; he was accused of the murder of his first wife and eventually entered the priesthood. The art of his later years, however, exudes a serene, light-filled beauty, a far remove from the tenebrism of his youth, reflecting his journey from a deeply Spanish Baroque style towards more cosmopolitan trends. After a second three-year period spent in Madrid, in 1660 he returned once more to Granada. However, his relationship with the cathedral chapter deteriorated. As an old and infirm man, he was ejected from his workshop in the cathedral tower — whose main façade he himself had designed (although it was not completed until after his death).
Alonso Cano is considered to be one of the great all-rounders of the Spanish Baroque, working in painting, sculpture, altarpiece art and (albeit to a lesser extent) architecture. He left a lasting influence, especially in Andalusia. Cano's father designed and assembled altarpieces and the artist learned from him the rudiments of the trade. In 1614, his family moved to Seville where he received most of his education. He served as an apprentice in the workshop of the artist and theoretician Francisco Pacheco, and there met Diego Velázquez, with whom he maintained a close friendship over the years. He is also believed to have worked under Juan Martínez Montañés, who left an undeniable influence on his sculpture. He gained renown both as a painter and as a sculptor and in 1638 he moved to Madrid to work for the Count Duke of Olivares as a painter and valet. There, his style was transformed by the influence of Velázquez and his studies of the many works by Venetian painters that had been held in the royal collections since the sixteenth century. This led to a certain Italianization in his approach, combined with other influences such as the transparencies of Van Dyck. In 1652 he returned to Granada, where he was appointed to the post of official painter at the cathedral and executed the monumental series of paintings of the Virgin Mary adorning the main chapel. Although originally designed to be a mausoleum for the Habsburg monarchy, this royal site had been superseded by the construction of the Monastery of El Escorial.
Cano led a dramatic and eventful life; he was accused of the murder of his first wife and eventually entered the priesthood. The art of his later years, however, exudes a serene, light-filled beauty, a far remove from the tenebrism of his youth, reflecting his journey from a deeply Spanish Baroque style towards more cosmopolitan trends. After a second three-year period spent in Madrid, in 1660 he returned once more to Granada. However, his relationship with the cathedral chapter deteriorated. As an old and infirm man, he was ejected from his workshop in the cathedral tower — whose main façade he himself had designed (although it was not completed until after his death).