Juan Correa (1646–1739) was a distinguished Mexican painter of the late seventeenth and early eighteenth centuries. His years of greatest activity were from 1671 to 1716.
Correa was theAfro-Mexican son of amulatto (or dark-skinned) physician fromCádiz, Spain, and a freed black woman, Pascuala de Santoyo. Correa "became one of the most prominent artists inNew Spain during his lifetime, along withCristóbal de Villalpando."[1]
Correa was a highly productive religious painter, with two major paintings in thesacristy of theCathedral of Mexico City, one on the subject of theAssumption andCoronation of the Virgin (each from 1689), and theEntry into Jerusalem (1691). Elsewhere in the cathedral he created theVision of theApocalypse, and other versions of theAssumption andCoronation of the Virgin.[2] His two canvases for the sacristy are regarded as masterpieces ofMexican baroque.[3] Correa also painted major works for the Jesuit church inTepozotlan, Mexico (now the Museum of the Viceroyalty), the Chapel of the Rosary in the convent ofAzcapotzalco (in Mexico City) and—based on models by ——for thecathedral of Durango.[2] His last known work from the early 18th century was documented atAntigua, Guatemala, in 1739.[4]
Correa was the teacher ofJosé de Ibarra[5][6] and Juan Rodríguez Juarez.[2] His brother, José Correa, his nephews Miguel Correa and Diego Correa, and his grandsons (also named Miguel and Diego) worked as painters.[2]
It is estimated that Correa produced around 500 paintings for churches and private patrons during the course of his life. His themes are mainly catholic.[7] His early style was described byIlona Katzew (LACMA curator) as having a "vibrant palette, elegant composition, and overall emphasis on decorative details [, and] subtle color gradations that provide a sense of iridescence and contribute to the overall mystical effect.[8]" It is often unclear if a painting should be attributed to Juan Correa alone, or to his family atelier. According toKathryn Santner (Denver Art Museum curator), "the immense success of the Correa family demonstrates that (contrary to previously held assumptions) Afrodescendant artists were indeed able to function in colonial Mexico as prominent artists within the guild system.[9]
Manuel Toussaint considers Correa and Villalpando the main exponents of theBaroque style of painting in Mexico.[10] According to Toussaint, Correa was "important in achieving a new quality, in the creative impulse he expresses, and which one cannot doubt embodies the eagerness of New Spain for an art of its own, breaking away from its Spanish lineage. Here New Spain attains its own personality, unique and unmistakable."[11] James Oles writes that "Correa and Villalpando created a distinctive—if at times formulaic—style that hearkened back to the strongMannerist traditions of the mid-sixteenth century."[12]
Allegory of the Holy Sacrament[7] andThe Guardian Angel[9] are on exhibit at the Denver Art Museum. In 2013, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) acquired its first Correa,Angel Carrying a Cypress ('Ángel portando un ciprés') painted circa 1670–90. The painting is on exhibit in the Latin American gallery of the Americas Building.[8]
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Artists | |
| Other | |
