Page 112 - The mystery of faith

a synthesis usually associated with Cano, who, from 1652, effectively dominated the market for both
genres. Here, Risueño was clearly asserting his deep connection with the textile industry. Moreover, as
we know from Sánchez-Mesa Martín that Risueño was also the polychromer of his sculptures, the
spectacular richness and variety of painted motifs in this Dolorosa illustrate how this artist was, like
Cano, as much a painter as he was a sculptor and how he was able to combine the two techniques in
a single work to symbiotic effect.

In the rich estofado decorations, particularly on the mantle, Risueño applied the motifs with the tip of
the brush. The ‘picado de lustre’ technique, achieving a scintillating effect by applying points of gold to
highlight all over, was one particularly cultivated by the artist. Risueño employed every available
painterly technique in the decoration and expression of his drapery, and especially a sumptuous variety
of floral motifs and other patterns. The variety and intensity of Risueño’s early eighteenth-century
palette results partly from the influence of Flemish painting, particularly the work of Van Dyck, and
possibly reflects the infiltration of French and Italian artistic currents and fashions into Granada.

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