Artist

(b. ca. 1605, Sevilla, d. 1677, Sevilla)

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Details

Spanish painter. He belonged to the lesser nobility and must have possessed means sufficient for him not to have depended on income from his painting. He trained with Francisco de Herrera and had his own workshop from 1630. He was receptive to current pictorial tendencies, and his style was influenced successively by Herrera, Zurbarán, Murillo and Juan de Valdés Leal. This range of influences is reflected in his work, which is varied and uneven: while a few paintings show a careful technique, others are badly executed and of poor quality. In his early works Llanos Valdés showed an interest in tenebrist effects, with strongly lit figures set against a dark background. The earliest of his known works is the signed Magdalene (1658; Seville, Casa de Pilatos), in which the dramatic presentation and strong chiaroscuro are clearly derived from Ribera. The Virgin of the Rosary (1664; Seville Cathedral) perfectly exemplifies the artist's style; the figures are sweet and meditative but somewhat inexpressive. The Immaculate Child (1665; private collection) echoes the work of Zurbarán, as does the Crucifixion (1666; Seville Cathedral, sacristy). In the Pietà (1666; Seville Cathedral) Llanos Valdés succeeded in portraying a convincing group of mourning figures around the body of Christ. His best works are probably the Calling of St Matthew and St John the Baptist before the Sanhedrin, both of 1668 and located on the outer wall of the main altar in Seville Cathedral. In these the painter depicts ordinary figures with contrasting characterization and psychological insight. One of his frequent subjects was the severed heads of saints, the best examples being the Head of John the Baptist and the Head of St Paul, both signed and dated 1670 and located in the church of El Salvador in Seville. //

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Category	Artists
Artists by letter	L
Artist nationality	Spanish