José de Alcíbar (Mexico City, around 1730-1803) Altar of the Virgin of Mercy. Oil on copper. Signed. Devotional ...

José de Alcíbar (Mexico City, around 1730-1803) Altar of the Virgin of Mercy. Oil on copper. Signed. Devotional work showing a composition that revolves around the central theme of the Piety of Christ, the Holy Trinity and saints on a dark background with a kind of curtain reflecting the drama of the scene. Iconographically, Piety is a very repeated theme in the history of art, especially since the Renaissance. It is an image taken from the Passion, starring a grieving Virgin Mary holding the corpse of her son. The artwork responds to the artist's characteristic style, decidedly influenced by that of his teacher, Cabrera. 67 x 45 cm. Alcíbar was one of the most active and representative artists of the Mexico City painting scene during the second half of the 18th century. Although today we know little information about his life, his work has transcended the passage of time, especially the one carried out in his mature stage, between 1762 and 1793, in Miguel Cabrera's workshop and that is why his works show similarities with those of his teacher. His commissions were numerous, especially religious paintings for various churches and portraits of preeminent figures of Mexican society, with a personal style not disconnected from the artistic processes that were developed in the metropolis. Let us remember that Mexico City during the 18th century experienced a moment of special cultural importance, also in the artistic aspect, with the founding of the Real Academia de Bellas Artes de San Carlos in 1784, of which Alcíbar was one of its founding members and in which he actively participated until his death.