31 Alejo Fernández (doc. 1496-1545) Alberto Velasco Jesus on the Way to Calvary Seville, around 1510-1520 Oil painting on oak wood 109.7 x 91.2 cm Provenance / France, private collection. Literature / Nicholas Herman, “Alejo Fernández (c. 1475-1545). The Arrest of Christ”, in Susie Nash (ed.), Late Medieval Panel Paintings II. Materials, Methods, Meanings, London, Sam Fogg, 2015, p. 117, fig. 20 (illustrated). Medieval and Renaissance Spain Paintings and sculpture from 1200 to 1550, London, Sam Fogg, 2017, p. 94, fig. 1 (illustrated) (catalog entry by Nicholas Herman). 32 SPANISH OLD MASTER PAINTINGS 1500–1700 33 Description On the right, the terrible retinue towards mount Golgotha continues; that happened to Jesus outside Jerusalem during his journey – Via Dolorosa way to a fantastic iridescent, a detail that is repeated in the biretta and The painting shows one of the episodes from the Passion, the one in which there, Christ and the two thieves will receive punishment and death. – to the Golgotha, where he was going to be crucified. Therefore, it is one that exhibits the painter’s great domain in the application of glazing. Jesus walks towards the Golgotha in order to be crucified. Christ is in the The thieves were Dimas and Gestas, and in this painting they appear of the last scenes from the Passion of Jesus and it precedes the Crucifixion. The garment, which reveals part of the character’s chest through a large center, carrying the cross, which rests over his left shoulder and which he backwards, guarded by different Roman centurions. Their bodies are This is shown in our panel painting through the arrangements that are neckline, does not cover his arms because it is short sleeved. Narrowing holds by the transom with both hands. His face is right in the center of the naked and one of them is handcuffed with a rope that one of the soldiers taking place in the mount located to the right of the audience, where we his waistline is a black belt where he carries a hammer that let us identify picture plane, at the exact point where also the arms of the cross crisscross, is holding. In a meandering way, the procession climbs to the fatal place. can see that the installation of the crosses is coming to an end. the character with one of those that would nail Christ to the cross. Half- thus the audience must focus attention there. The weight of the wood It is mainly composed of centurions that are not dressed as such, but as nakedness can also be seen in his legs, since we can see that he is wearing makes him bend his body. The effort can be seen in his face, which, even anachronistic soldiers of the early 16th century. Some of them walk and The aim of these extremely dramatic scenes was to affect the faithful breeches rolled up to his knees, and in the footwear, as he is wearing a though it looks calm, it suggests an evident fatigue. Jesus goes barefoot others ride horses, some have lances and others pikes, but all of them that prays before them. This is pointed out by Jesus bleeding face, or the lightweight sandal that completely exposes his left foot and a kind of boot and wears a blue tunic with golden borders in sleeves, neck and lower part. carry golden armors made of gold leaf. The character that concludes the cruelty and violence he was treated with, since he was tied up through that covers his right one, even though toes are shown. The half-naked He carries the crown of thorns in his head and blood goes down through dramatic procession must be excluded, a man with thick black hair that the neck and dragged like an animal.1 Torturers’ violence and brutality body of the character reminds us the image of the fool, the one who his face and neck. The halo has been done with gold foil and has been blows a horn. In the upper part of the mount, two men dig and prepare is manifested in the psalms and Gospel texts, and it is a topic with does not recognize the word of the Gospels and who denies the divine outlined in black, while in the interior some curt rays appear that were the crosses for the prisoners. many late Christocentric texts that came to identify tormentors with nature of the Son of God.6 This is also reinforced with the presence of made with a sharp tool, as the ones of the rest of the characters. animals. In the particular case where Christ is shown bearing the cross, two different types of footwear. Another peculiar detail is the kind of The action takes place in a natural environment where greenish and surrounded by angry Jews, psalm 21 says that “circundederunt me canes band aid that he has in his left leg, under the knee, which strengthens the Simon of Cyrene helps Jesus carry the weight of the cross, as the Gospels brownish tones prevail, with flat large surfaces among which few multi” (I was surrounded by many dogs) (Psalms 21: 17) that prevent character’s absurdity with an almost imperceptible detail. of Mark, Matthew, and Luke tell. He wears a simple red wine colored coat vegetable elements, as foreground herbs and bushes, protrude. This Mary from approaching his Son.2 with white light tones, which are very dramatic and play with chromatic favors the characters because they gain presence and can be seen in a The same ridiculousness appears in the characterization of the second degradation. His figure acts as a counterbalance to the presence of the clear way. In an apparent strange way – we will then see that it is not This is exactly what is represented in the panel we are studying, following Jew; a character with a grotesque face that tries to whip Jesus with Jews that martyr and hinder the Son of God’s walk. One of them holds a so –, the painter depicted a big mound in the ax of the composition, a a well-known model in Europe. Besides, the painter has depicted the a rope he uses as a lash. As in the previous case, we can see part of rope with a loop that he has put around Jesus’ neck and that he is ready geographical feature that blocks the vision of a dilapidated building that screams, the ferocity and expressivity of the Jews, which contrast with his legs, and he is wearing a shirt with the same large neckline that to tighten. Another Jew is hidden by the cross and raises his right arm appears in the background. In turn, behind it he placed a second mount the peacefulness of the beatific faces of those who accompany Jesus.3 reveals part of his chest. It is yellow, which is not a trivial detail since to punish Jesus with a rope he uses as a whip; while a third Jew, also half crowned with a simple house and some trees that hides the background That confrontation can also be appreciated in the color scheme of the in the Middle Ages this color was frequently associated with Jews.7 Its hidden, appears behind Christ, at the other side of the cross. landscape, represented in a bluish gradation. Finally, to the left, in front landscape, where we can see that the pink building on the background, negativity is reinforced with its ragged nature because it is torn in the of a river, a pink walled building can be seen; it stands out for its classical the blue setting and the green tone of the mounts contrasts with the chest and in the neck, besides it has a delicate mend also in the neck. Before the pace of the pathetic procession, a woman wearing an ethereal configuration drawn from a big tower and a porch with rounded arches. brownish tone, the poor vegetation and the dry appearance of the These are almost imperceptible features that again show the great eye white mantle and a grayish tunic prostrates before Jesus and shows him road that guides Jesus to his death.4 The grim tone of the road is only for details that the painting has as well as the technical outstanding a veil. She is Veronica, the woman that cleaned Christ’s face with a piece interrupted by the white and immaculate presence of Veronica, who still the painter performed in its materialization. As regards the Jew who is of cloth on his way to the Golgotha. Her head is masterfully depicted Iconography does not show in her veil the printed image of Christ’s Vera Facies, thus behind Christ, at the other side of the cross, he has a color combination under one of the Jews’ sleeve, and her clothing becomes a powerful spot The Way to Calvary is one of the usual episodes in the cycles dedicated inviting the audiences to complete the manifestation of the miracle with of green breeches and orange shirt, which present him as a negative of color that focuses the audience attention. To the left of the piece, right to the Passion, and one of the most explicit as regards the suffering that their imagination.5 character. On his hand he has a stick with which he seems to be ready in front of Simon of Cyrene and on the other side of the cross, a group the Son of God was subjected to. The story is told in the four Gospels to whip Jesus’ legs, in addition to pliers that he carries in his belt, which of characters consisting of the Maries and John the Evangelist appears, all (Matthew 27: 31-33, Mark 15: 20-22, Luke 23: 26-32, and John 19: The presence of the Jews incorporates different iconographic issues that identify him as another one of the executioners that will nail Christ to of them with golden halos.