Meadows Museum acquires major painting by Pedro de Campaña
The First Art Newspaper on the Net    Established in 1996 Monday, December 9, 2024


Meadows Museum acquires major painting by Pedro de Campaña
Pedro de Campaña (aka Pieter de Kempener) (Flemish, 1503–c. 1580), Calvary, c. 1560. Oil on oak panel, 21 3/8 x 17 5/8 in. (54.4 x 44.8 cm). Meadows Museum, SMU, Dallas. Museum purchase with funds from The Meadows Foundation, MM.2021.05. Photo by Kevin Todora.



DALLAS, TX.- The Meadows Museum, SMU announced today that it has acquired a painting of a calvary scene by Pedro de Campaña (born Pieter de Kempener). The highly emotive painting, likely commissioned for personal devotion in a private chapel, features a masterful composition, rich color, and expertly executed depictions of light and dark. Calvary (c. 1560) is the first work by Campaña, who was widely considered to be the most important painter of Renaissance Seville, to enter the Meadows’ collection. As most works by Campaña are in situ in ecclesiastical settings in Spain, the acquisition of this work presented a rare opportunity for the Meadows to fill a gap in its collection, thereby enabling the museum to present a more complete history of the art of Spain. The painting is currently on view in the museum’s galleries.

Pedro de Campaña (1503–1580) became one of the most influential artists of his generation in Spain, despite having been born in Belgium and trained in the Low Countries and Italy. Campaña arrived in Seville right as it was becoming the center of Spain’s expanding global empire, and the artist found an eager audience for his religious paintings among the city’s growing number of wealthy inhabitants. The artist and his workshop were often commissioned by this new merchant class to create paintings for churches and private chapels. Calvary was likely commissioned for a private chapel toward the end of Campaña’s life. The painting merges skills Campaña learned in Belgium and Italy, such as the clever composition and level of detail, with the religious storytelling and iconography demanded by Seville’s pious audiences.

The painted panel work features Christ on the cross flanked by two crucified thieves, whose bodies and twisted crosses both frame the scene and direct the viewer’s gaze toward Christ’s body and musculature. Campaña’s use of color is masterful, with Christ’s body appearing as if illuminated against an otherwise mostly dark canvas. This effect is amplified by Campaña’s application of mordant gilding (gilding added after the work has been painted) to the halos of Christ, Mary and John. The viewer’s focus is further directed by the positioning of the two saints looking upward at Christ’s body, their facial expressions and hand gestures providing a model for the viewer’s personal devotion. Mary and John’s heightened emotional state is enhanced by the dramatic background of tumultuous skies and Campaña’s incorporation of symbols like the serpent at the base of the thief’s cross.

“This painting will hold a special spot in our collection for being the last acquisition overseen by the Meadows’ late director Mark Roglán, whose passion for and tremendous knowledge of Spanish art left an indelible mark on every aspect of the museum and its collection,” said Meadows Museum Director ad interim and Curator Amanda W. Dotseth. “Campaña’s Calvary is not only the first work by the artist to enter the collection, but also the first by any artist active in sixteenth-century Seville. The acquisition thus greatly enhances our ability to present and study the history of Renaissance Spain.”










Today's News

February 3, 2022

Uffizi Gallery, bastion of tradition, evolves (slowly) with the times

It's gold, baby. But Niclas Castello's Cube is nothing new in art.

Hauser & Wirth opens an exhibition of works by Ida Applebroog

Meadows Museum acquires major painting by Pedro de Campaña

Hindman appoints Sean Johnson as Senior Watch Specialist

New at Blue Star Contemporary: Spring exhibitions 'Threads Bare' and the 'Black Art Library'

Phillips announces works to be sold to support The Warburg Institute

Paris Print Fair: The new Paris-based fair dedicated to printmaking

Lund Humphries publishes 'Artemisia Gentileschi' by Sheila Barker

The George Adams Gallery opens an exhibition of abstract paintings by Elmer Bischoff

Andria Hickey appointed Chief Curator of The Shed

Fine Books & Autographs at Swann Galleries February 17

American Federation of Arts names Kimerly Rorschach President of the Board of Trustees

Affordable Art Fair announces New York Director ahead of 20th anniversary in NYC

Two new Trustees join Birmingham Museums Trust Board

The Museum of Russian Icons opens an exhibition exploring the importance of tea culture in Russian art

GOST Books publishes 'Architecture + Beauty' by John Balsom

A conductor in demand, and in control

Martin McDonagh's 'Hangmen' will open on Broadway this spring

Donald Mahler, prolific ballet choreographer, dies at 88

In 'Prayer for the French Republic,' echoes of the past

In 'MJ,' no one's looking at the man in the mirror

J Dilla was a revered rap producer. A new book deepens his legacy.

Online-only auctions at Weiss Auctions gross more than $600,000.

Best Casino's Art Collections

Art & Gambling: Famous casino-themed paintings

Artist Interview: Ran Zheng Shares Her Stories On Her Journey of Playing An Irreplaceable Role On Various Projects

Boucherouite and Beni Ourain rugs : would it be a successful marriage ?




Museums, Exhibits, Artists, Milestones, Digital Art, Architecture, Photography,
Photographers, Special Photos, Special Reports, Featured Stories, Auctions, Art Fairs,
Anecdotes, Art Quiz, Education, Mythology, 3D Images, Last Week, .

 



Founder:
Ignacio Villarreal
(1941 - 2019)
Editor & Publisher: Jose Villarreal
Art Director: Juan José Sepúlveda Ramírez
Writer: Ofelia Zurbia Betancourt

Attorneys
Truck Accident Attorneys
Accident Attorneys
Houston Dentist
Abogado de accidentes
สล็อต
สล็อตเว็บตรง
Motorcycle Accident Lawyer

Royalville Communications, Inc
produces:

ignaciovillarreal.org juncodelavega.com facundocabral-elfinal.org
Founder's Site. Hommage
to a Mexican poet.
Hommage
       

The First Art Newspaper on the Net. The Best Versions Of Ave Maria Song Junco de la Vega Site Ignacio Villarreal Site Parroquia Natividad del Señor
Tell a Friend
Dear User, please complete the form below in order to recommend the Artdaily newsletter to someone you know.
Please complete all fields marked *.
Sending Mail
Sending Successful