JUNI, Juan de
(b. 1506, Joigny, d. 1577, Valladolid)

Antigua Altar (detail)

1545-62
Polychrome wood
Cathedral, Valladolid

The detail shown is Christ on the Cross.

As in most Spanish altarpieces, a Christ on the Cross towers over the ensemble. Juni placed this Crucifix outside the architectural framework, above the central part of the attic, in impressive isolation. The anatomical details are masterfully rendered, but the body is distorted by Juni's dramatic genius: from the head to toe, it is twisted round in a spiraling movement which expresses its last convulsion.




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