a) Supports: Stretchers and Textiles

As mentioned at the beginning of this ESSAY, the stretchers supporting the canvas had been removed from the pieces in the Shrine; however, from the MAS pieces it was possible to identify that the original stretchers had unions half way along the lateral and crosspiece woods, with corner notches in the crossbar. Mounting marks were found, indicating that the works could have been mounted in situ and the paintings travelled rolled up ^{(Ramírez, 2018, p. 66)}.

With regard to the textile support, a 9 x 10 threads/cm² taffeta weave was identified; according to Abelardo ^{Carrillo y Gariel (1983, p. 96)} it was common for canvases in New Spain to present the same number of threads in both directions. No identification of textile fibers was carried out on the series of paintings in the Shrine. However, it was done on La huida de Egipto (The Flight from Egypt, part of the same collection but belonging to MAS) during its intervention at ENCRyM, where linen was detected ^{(Vergara, 2017, p. 26)}, being the predominant fiber in the eighteenth century ^{(Sumano, 2011, p. 204)}. All the supports are composed of three parts joined with a simple seam ^{(Ramírez, 2018, p. 68)}, which was common in New Spain due to its elevated cost ^{(Mues, 2017, p. 57)}.

b) Composition and Drawing

Composition will be analyzed here, starting with the ground layer.⁷ In addition to being a technical and traditional element common to paintings from New Spain, it is a typical part of how Páez forms visual characteristics. Huguette ^{Palomino (2020, p. 85)} notes that in the booklet Opúsculo guadalupano, Cabrera uses disposing as a synonym for priming, in such a way that “the preparation base and the invention⁸ homogenize, so the preliminary technical processes and the intellectual ones merge” and are, therefore, appropriated.

The stratigraphic samples identified the application of a glue ground layer to limit and even out the canvas’ absorption ^{(Villar quide, 2005, p. 61)}. A red colored priming layer was applied over this, where angular charges of different sizes and colors can be observed. This variety could be due to the use of dry oils as bulk, as Palomino recommended (1797, p. 48), “when everything is ground add a portion of old colors if there are any, which are those discarded from the palette and brushes whenever they are cleaned”.

During the first half of the seventeenth century, the use of colo red primers spread rapidly through Spain as a transition towards new luminous and chromatic values (Gayo, 2010, p. 39). The use of reddish ground layers, with iron pigments, prevailed in paintings from New Spain in that century and the next (Arroyo, et al., 2012, p. 105-106; ^{Mues, 2017, p. 58}). That type of ground layer was the one identified in the paintings by José de Páez: it served to set the temperature of color and generate warm atmospheres ^{(Castañeda, 2016, p. 145, 162)}.

This is the case with the present cycle, all the pieces have that red ground layer on which the composition was planned: location of characters, position, clothing, colors and backgrounds. The careful planning of these compositions is part of what gives the set its narrative power.

The creation of each scene involved sketching guidelines for perspective in architecture, floors, furniture and drapes. The organization and harmony of the compositions is clearly visible and simple; in most cases, the paintings only have two planes and the background. The elements within are balanced and in certain scenes, such as La coronación (The Coronation), La asunción (The Assumption) and La inmaculada concepción, the compositions are symmetrical. During the intervention it was clear that each of the figures was planned, for their contours could be observed in red primer, like outlines of the characters, as well as certain parts: a child’s head and a hand writing (Figure 2), all these were also common elements of the period ^{(Mues, 2017, p. 58)}.

(Photographs: Arantxa Ramírez/Alberto González, 2016; courtesy of: Shrine of Guadalupe, Mexico)

Figure 2 Contours of figures marked by the preparation base; this softens the outlines of figures, whose expressions sweeten under the spectator’s very gaze. 

In this regard, a more detailed study of the engravings that inspired Páez would be necessary. It is well known that painted copies, engravings and treaties on pictorial theory were all part of the phenomenon of dissemination of ideas and artistic models throughout New Spain during the eighteenth century ^{(Mues, 2017, p. 1-21)}. ^{Castañeda (2016, p. 112)} identifies certain incorporations of engravings in Páez’s work. For example, in Los siete sacramentos y los cuatro doctors de la Iglesía (The Seven Sacraments and The Four Doctors of the Church, 1753) he includes drawings of the sacraments by Nicolas Poussin. He equally notes the use of Italian engravings for faces in Nuestra Señora de la Piedad (Our Lady of Mercy) and, furthermore, suggests that its composition was based on Joseph Sebastian Klauber and Johann Baptist Klauber’s 1768 engravings of the La letanía lauretana (Litany of the Blessed Virgin, ^{Castañeda, 2017, p. 153-154}).

The idea of planned composition is supported by the few corrections present. Vergara reports pentimenti in La huida de Egipto from this series and interprets them as artistic spontaneity. In light of the few alterations found in the rest of the cycle, it is more likely to have been a conscientious decision to change his mind with regard to the sketch, in order to obtain better results for artist or patron.

In the case of the series I am involved with, two forms of providing depth were observed; although both can be present in the works, one predominates over the other, according to the scene: use of perspective and differences in lighting.

In the first instance, Páez used linear perspective to give the feeling of depth, which was observed in the direction of architectural elements and floors; this use was particularly notable in La presentación de la Virgen and La presentación del Niño (The Presentation of the Child), where columns and stairs meet at a vani shing point (Figure 3). In the second case the differences in lighting notably delimit different planes. In El Nacimiento de la Virgen (The Birth of the Virgin) the characters in the scene´s foreground are much more illuminated and the light goes fading as one advances further into the room. The planes are identified through these changes and, furthermore, it establishes a visual tour that helps determine the piece’s main characters and central theme (Figure 3).

(Photograph: Arantxa Ramírez, 2016; courtesy of: Shrine of Guadalupe, Mexico)

Figure 3 La dormición de la Virgen demonstrates that difference in lighting between the first and second planes generates a feeling of depth, while in La presentación de la Virgen this is achieved with the direction of lines of architecture, that allow a vanishing point. 

Analysis of the set helped identify that Páez resorted to the use of red drapings for some of his backgrounds -such as La anunciación, El nacimiento de la Virgen, La presentación de la Virgen, La presentación del Niño - as a theatrical element that puts the observer at a distance and creates warm, intimate atmospheres. However, in other cases he chose to represent open spaces - La inmaculada concepción, La visitación, La asunción, La coronación, La adoración de los Reyes - or skies and vaporous landscapes.

Other interesting aspects observed regarding composition were certain artistic solutions that certainly made work in the studio swifter and enabled him to save on the cost of materials and time, such as, for example, taking advantage of the base preparation to cover large areas of paint in the backgrounds. Mues considers these practices allowed artists to manage their studios as businesses and deliver large orders ^{(Mues, 2017, p. 59)}, as in Páez’s case, known to have been an extremely prolific artist who repeated compositions with just a few changes to satisfy the large demand for his work ^{(Castañeda, 2016, p. 34-35)}.

In addition, the repetition of patterns and characters were observed within the series itself (Figure 4). Páez must have had a large studio as well as enough assistants and tricks with which to increase his production without diminishing its quality. It would be worthwhile to establish whether such patterns were templates and how they were transferred to the painting. Those faces were undoubtedly worked and selected carefully by the artist for constant use, as can be seen in the visual solution of the four characters included in Figure 4, which from left to right and top to bottom correspond to the scenes: La adoración de los Reyes (face 1), La presentación de la Virgen (faces 2 and 3) and La coronación de la Virgen (face 4).

(Photograph: Arantxa Ramírez, 2016; courtesy of: Shrine of Guadalupe, Mexico)

Figure 4 These characters display the same facial pattern; their sizes are similar. 

Páez insisted on representing domestic scenes, including everyday places, such as bedrooms, while the characters display familiar attitudes. This resource gives the pictorial set narrative and discursive effectiveness, making the spectator empathize with the scene. Indeed, during the eighteenth century narrative painting expe rienced a resurgence, manifested in its organic and idealized sensibility, where daily life elements were highlighted (Cuadriello, 2018, p. 193). This can be observed throughout Páez’s compositions.

The number of characters is limited, though they always occupy approximately three quarters of the composition, in a privileged position, which facilitates reading the works. It was noted that Páez strived for greater naturalism representing the human body. Generally, the characters follow a proportion of eight heads. This type of search for more precise drawing brings to mind the founding pedagogical principle in San Carlos Academy, where students started off by drawing copies ^{(Aguilar, 2010, p. 187)}. Pupils would draw many limbs to memorize and master the human body, in order to acquire the capacity to develop new images by means of a sketch ^{(Aguilar, 2010, p. 186)}. That proportion is also the one reco mmended by father Lana: “From the hairline to the tip of the chin is one eighth of the body” ^{(Mues, 2006, p. 96)} (Figure 5a).

(Photograph: Arantxa Ramírez/Alberto González, 2016; courtesy of: Shrine of Guadalupe, Mexico)

Figure. 5 Scheme of childlike proportions: a) in the face of the lady companion in El Nacimiento de la Virgen; note how the eyes are larger and the mouth is the size of the eyes; b) on the other hand, the proportion of upright figures is of eight heads -as Francesco Lana recommended- which corresponds to seeking greater naturalism. 

Contrary to respect for body proportions, faces were noticeably infantilized: the eyes are slightly larger and the size of the mouth is smaller than the body’s anatomical measurements, particularly in women. On this subject, Lana mentioned the following: “the length of the eye some would like equal to the mouth, though in truth it is not so” ^{(Mues, 2006, p. 96)}. It would seem Páez deliberately used those “incorrect” proportions because they render the charac ter’s expression sweeter, which caused certain critics to despise his work ^{(Romero, 2012, p. 26)}. Nevertheless that, let us say, “disproportion” has also been a characteristic stamp of his production (Figure 5b). According to Rogelio Ruiz Gomar, the appeal of a serene expression was a common denominator in pictorial production of that century ^{(Ruiz, 1988, p. 120-149)}, although in Páez’s case it can even be endearing. I believe that behind the execution of that type of faces lies a search to create idealized characters and, thus, more heartwarming scenes.

c) Use of color

About the Work Process

Part of my thesis included an analysis of the stratigraphy of each color and I noted the presence of between two and four stages of building ^{(Ramírez, 2018, p. 75-95)}, first applying a darker shade, followed by lighter shades or, failing that, several coats of a similar color, starting with a red preparation base. It is believed this building through glazes could be those the paragraphs added to the treaty El arte maestra referred to, which mentioned the introduction of mixtures of colors from the brushes to the canvas ^{(Mues, 2006, p. 102}; ^{Mues, 2017, p. 58)}. Huguette Palomino indicates that Ibarra also resorted to that type of building, particularly to provide luminosity ^{(2020, p. 119)}.

For the purposes of this essay, I retake the analysis of the stratigraphic samples of the carnations, the reds and blues, since they illustrate the logic behind how Páez built color.

Incarnations

Two types of carnation were identified: one a beige color used for the majority of characters, with different degrees of luminosity and saturation -always lighter for the Virgin- and black for one of the Magi and his assistant. They all started with a compact red base preparation. In the case of the beige carnation, Páez used a slightly yellow base which was achieved by combining several pigments; according to the desired result, in some cases there were more white particles than red. Another type of beige carnation was found in La dormición de la Virgen, a scene in penumbra where, to match, the yellow was much darker, thicker and with a greater load of shadows.

However, a clear difference was observed between the building of beige carnations and that of King Balthazar. In his case, after the red base preparation (in the case of the sample of King Balthazar it appears more orange, but this is perhaps due to an unintentional lower quantity of red ochre) the base color was a greyish blue. While for the first type of carnation the yellow illuminated and lightened the subsequent colors, in the second type, the blue darkened and counteracted the warmth of the ground layer. Hence the king’s skin acquired quite a dark tone that is striking in contrast with other carnations (Figure 7).

(Photograph: Arantxa Ramírez, 2016; courtesy of: Shrine of Guadalupe, Mexico)

Figure 7 These images show the different buildings of carnations and their results. One can see that both samples have part of red preparation base (PB) to then apply, for Saint Ann’s lighter carnation in La inmaculada concepción, a yellow base (E1a) followed by an almost-white beige (E2a). In contrast, for the black carnation of King Balthazar in La adoración de los Reyes after the preparation base Páez applied a grey (E1b) background color followed by black (E2b).. 

Meanwhile, observing the series made it manifest that Páez used carnation as a narrative element. For example, he always shows the Virgin Mary as the main character through a more luminous face and, in the case of La dormición, not only are the apostles’ skins darker, which is more coherent with the scene’s lighting, it also corresponds to the feeling of grief. Equally, the further back the characters are from the foreground, the more blurred the details and brushstrokes, to mark distance and reduce status, which involves an overwhelming intent, as seen with the apostles in La asunción whose features are barely visible (Figure 8).

(Photograph: Alberto González, 2016; courtesy of: Shrine of Guadalupe, Mexico)

Figure 8 In La asunción, the carnation of the apostles was built through extremely faint brushstrokes that were blurred; this marks distance and reduces the status of the characters. 

Reds

One of the most dominant colors in the series is red, in different saturations and luminosities: it was used for tablecloths, curtains, clothing and backgrounds (Figure 9). Páez applied a darker red over the base preparation in certain zones, before applying a brighter one. The result is a chromatic range of red that is different from the base preparation. This procedure takes advantage of it and modulates it through the application of thin layers. This technique was found inLa dormición and in La adoración de los Reyes (Figure 10).

(Photographs: Arantxa Ramírez, 2016; courtesy of: Shrine of Guadalupe, Mexico)

Figure 9 Páez resorted to reds in his compositions to take advantage of the preparation base for curtains and tablecloths in La asunbción and La presentación del Niño. 

Photographs: Arantxa Ramírez/Luz Esperanza López, 2016; courtesy of: Shrine of Guadalupe, Mexico)

Figure 10 Stratigraphic of different ways of constructing the color red. One can notice on the samples that after the red-based preparation (BP), La adoración de los Reyes has a barely visible red glazing (E1a). Meanwhile, La dormición samples have a layer of darker red (E1b y E1c) followed by a red similar to the base preparation (E2b y E2c). 

In addition, certain zones were detected where Páez took advantage of the color in the base preparation almost completely and barely placed glaze to accent it, as can be seen in one of the kings’ capes in La adoración.

Blues

The second most used color is blue; analysis helped identify the different manners these were worked. For dark, Páez placed a dull blue base to provide a colder background to the following layers. This procedure allowed the blues not to tend to purple, which would have occurred had light blue been applied directly to the red base. Nevertheless, the applications are so fine the red ground layer vibrates below the blue. Páez created lighter shades of blue through several layers mixed with white. One of the most outstanding and well-executed tasks is visible in the palm held by the Virgin in La dormición. Admirable glazing work can be seen in this area, where it is perfectly understandable where the mantle ends and the palm begins, although both of them are blue (Figure 11).

(Photograph: Arantxa Ramírez, 2016; courtesy of: Shrine of Guadalupe, Mexico)

Figure 11 Stratigraphy of the blue palm in La dormición de la Virgen; one can see how Páez applied different blue glazings (E1, E2, E3, E4) to the base preparation. The result is a blue palm over the Virgin’s mantle of the same color, in which each is distinguishable from the other. The stratigraphy also shows how the matrices in certain layers seen to be “tinted”, especially E1 and E2; furthermore, possible conglomerates of indigo are observed in those same layers. 

The only color building that differs from the former in that it starts with a lighter one is Caspar’s gold cape, in La adoración de los Reyes, where Páez applied two coats of almost white yellow over the base. With this he obtained a luminous background to achieve a gold that depicts luxury and riches (Figure 12).

(Photograph: Luz Esperanza López/Alberto González, 2016; courtesy of: Shrine of Guadalupe, Mexico)

Figure 12 Building of the golden color, which varies from the rest by starting with a light base, to give it greater luminosity. In this case one can see the base preparation followed by two layers of light yellow (E1 y E2) on which the gold color (E3) was applied. 

The stratigraphic samples confirmed that Páez worked by superimposing layers of paint, which validates ^{Castañeda’s (2016, p. 100)} conjecture, when he suggested the artist helped obtain a certain color by placing color mixtures one over another.

Páez usually started with a darker base, modulating it afterwards with lighter shades. An important characteristic of this superposition is the thickness of the layers vis-à-vis the preparation base, for their proportions are around 4:1. Further to creating different co lors, the glazing helped create half shades, lights and shadows that are part of the volume, depth of field and texture effects. Vergara noted “the soft, warm and subtle appearance of José de Páez’s work which, added to his chromatic selection, composition and building of forms, by thick red preparation bases (with regard to the painting layer) as well as subtle paint layers, worked through glazing and impasto” ^{(Vergara, 2017, p. 47)}. This method of work with glazing has also been observed in Ibarra (Palomino, 2018, p. 117) and in paintings by the Arellanos (Palomino, 2018, p. 255-265). Insaurralde considers that when they departed from firm drawing to venture into undefined brushstrokes, alternating the use of glazing with thick coats in the lights, they forged an innovative path and created an expressive intensity that would achieve full prominence in the eighteenth century ^{(Insaurralde, 2018, p. 98)}.

In sum, workspaces were built by glazing, combined with heavier and denser brushstrokes in larger areas, such as the details of architecture. The base’s vibration enabled textures to be generated and the nuancing of certain lights. This type of finishing is part of the new graphic registry Insaurralde (2019, p. 229) referred to, not characterized by strong luminous contrasts, but rather, by less ri gid contours and more balanced luminosity.

Páez demonstrates use of this new graphic registry in his warm, harmonious chromatic range, in the use of a pastel palette and diffuse light in all the scenes, all typical of eighteenth century painting which can be observed in transition painters such as the Arellanos (Insaurralde, 2016, p. 229) and later on in Antonio de Torres (1667-1731), Nicolás Enríquez (1704-c. 1790), Juan Rodríguez Juárez (1675-1728), José de Ibarra (1685-1756), Francisco Martínez (1687-1758), Manuel Carcanio (c. 1705-1793), José de Alzíbar (1726-1803), Miguel Cabrera (1695-1768) ^{(Alcalá, 2017, p. 17-35)}. Mixing white with most of the colors was fundamental to obtain these results, as shown by the stratigraphic samples, where particles of white pigment and lead were identified in all colors, denoting the wide use of white lead. This type of finishing, with little contrast and soft colors, are recommended by father Lana: “the degradation must be soft and the colors almost imperceptible: the sweetness of coloring depends on that imperceptible degradation, while offensive harshness is avoided” ^{(Mues, 2006, p. 63)}.

Finally, through the above-mentioned characteristics, we catch a glimpse of Páez’s style. According to historian Meyer Schapiro (1953, p. 287), style is a system of form with visual qualities and expressions through which an artist’s personality can be seen. In my opinion, technique and style have mutual repercussions: to achieve visual characteristics requires mastery of a way of working, and in that mode of work one can find solutions and motives identified in the style.

Thus, while working with the Ciclo de la vida de la Virgen by José de Páez, many characteristics common to eighteenth century painting were recognized, such as orderly, warm and emotive compositions built on red ground layers; use of color through glazing; simple, warm, domestic atmospheres; others are more Academic, such as perspectives based on a vanishing point and characters with more naturalism in their proportions, in addition to particula rities that distinguish the artist, such as faces with childlike proportions to sensitize the spectator