Zurbaran and Stubbs at the National Gallery

While I had seen many Francisco de Zurbaran paintings, I had never seen an exhibition of his works or read anything about him, so this exhibition was a bit of a revelation. Mostly because it took one through his output and allowed one to see changes in his style, and different subject matter to what I had seen, which I could best sum up as "religious paintings". Admittedly that does account for most of his output. After all one follows the money, and the money in Spain at the time was sat in the catholic church.

I might mention that this was the opening weekend of the exhibition so it was pretty busy even though I got there just after opening. I will go again when it is quieter and maybe take some more photos.

The crucifixions are impressive (of which there are several). They avoid excessive goriness which Spanish painters seem to love.

There is a gallery of still lives, of which this is the most renowned

Although many of the still lives are not by him but by his son Juan, who tragically died of the plague aged just 29. These grapes are superb

This is another religious work (and not a weird dead sheep thing as a friend described it!). It is Agnus Dei (lamb of God), a lamb ready for sacrifice, meant to represent Christ, an innocent lamb to be sacrificed for us.

Unlike many Italian renaissance and baroque painters, Zurbaran avoided male nudes, the exception being a cycle of paintings prepared for the Spanish king on the labours of Hercules, a couple of which were included here

If there is a weird painting it is this at the end of the exhibition, Christ crucified in front of St Luke, patron saint of painters. with his palette in hand.

He spent most of his working life in Seville but ended in Madrid when his style changed from these dramatically lit detailed paintings into something rather more colourful, gentle and domestic.

While in the Gallery I also popped along to see the little free exhibition on Stubbs, which featured three of his equine portraits that are in a private collection, plus a series of drawings on the anatomy of a horse. I don't think anyone has painted horses better, and he clearly studied them in enormous detail. Again, someone following the money. Rich aristocrats liked having paintings done of their horses.