around 1510 -1586 · Extremadura, Plasencia and Badajoz

Pale faces, tears, black backgrounds and silent gestures give Luis de Morales' little devotional images a unique spiritual intensity.

Luis de Morales was born around 1510 or 1511 and worked for more than half a century in Extremadura. Documented in Plasencia in the 1530s, he settled in Badajoz around 1539, where his house and workshop became the center of a production intended for churches, convents and private devotion. Later nicknamed "the Divine", Morales combines Flemish precision, Italian gentleness and Castilian expressiveness. His Ecce Homo and his Christ man of sorrows often isolate the face and bust in front of a black background. Light skin, reddened eyes, thorns and tears physically bring the suffering of the faithful closer together. His Ecce Homo and his Christ man of sorrows often isolate the face and bust in front of a black background. His Ecce Homo and his Christ man of sorrows often isolate the face and bust in front of a black background. His Ecce Homo and his Christ man of sorrows often isolate the face and bust in front of a black background. His Ecce Homo and his Christ man of sorrows often isolate the face and bust in front of a black background. His Ecce Homo and his Christ man of sorrows often isolate the face and bust in front of a black background. His Ecce Homo and his Christ man of sorrows often isolate the face and bust in front of a black background. Light skin, reddened eyes delicate fingers and melancholy glances already announce the Passion. Morales also created around twenty altarpieces, often with the help of an active workshop, and distributed his models in numerous versions. The Adoration of the Shepherds, the Lamentation and the cycles of the life of the Virgin show that he also mastered compositions with several figures. Probably died in Alcántara in 1586, he remains one of the most original personalities of the Spanish Renaissance and the great spiritual painter of Extremadura. The "Luis de Morales" selection notably compares Ecce Homo and The Adoration of the Shepherds. His reading favors space.

Morales brings the sacred face closer to the point of silence: a tear, a thorn or a cheek contact is enough to transform the gaze into meditation.