Carreño was born in Avilés, and studied in Valladolid. In 1623, he was admitted to Pedro de las Cuevas’s school in Madrid. Later on, he became one of the best painters of his era. Velázquez introduced him to the Spanish court, where he was very active. He was exposed to Venetian painting and the works of Rubens and Van Dyck.

Carreño’s work was invariably characterised by a pure and rough style, in muted, suave colours, which was inspired by the many studies he made of Van Dyck’s work. His work is divided into two periods. The former consists of ornamentations and very colourful baroque religious paintings. During the latter period, he painted several distinguished portraits, many of which were often inspired by Velázquez.

‘Saint Pascal Baylon’s Vision of the Eucharist’ is representative of the former group. The saint was best known for his strong and deep devotion to the Eucharist, spending hours in prayer, in ecstasy before the Eucharist. The painting is composed around the light that emanates from on high. The dynamic composition, the intense colour, the chiaroscuro all add to the expressiveness of this work.

Malgorzata Nowara