In 2023, when we first displayed works belonging to the collection of Alejandro Sanz Peinado, we announced then that its breadth and quality would allow us to compose two complementary exhibitions characterized by their thematic variety and plastic diversity. The memorable Under the Tree of Paradise was the first of these. We said at the time that the title allegorically alluded to the spirituality, mythology, devotion, and sensuality under the shelter of religious iconographies alongside cultural expressions that are today secularized, but equally marked by idealization and transcendence.
Far from being a second part, this new exhibition provides a different vision from what was presented in the first. Flames in the Snow, the exhibition we now present, is characterized by the representation of the real, the tangible, that which is characteristic of every being, their activity, and their personal experience; in place of the imperceptible and everything that escaped our human comprehension, which characterized the first show.
Nicolaes Maes (1634-1693), Portrait of two girls playing with a goat, Collection of Alejandro Sanz Peinado
Flames in the Snow, divided into four sections, presents the spectator with works created by some of the most outstanding artists of Dutch art from the 16th to the 18th centuries, in contrast with others originating from the European schools of Italy, France, Spain, and Germany.
There is flame, there is fire, there is life, there is color in those complex and solemn Dutch creations that compete in argumentation, intention, and plasticity with those elaborated in the enlightened artistic centers of our continent. There are also avant-garde contributions that seem natural to us today, such as the description of spaces and objects, the interest in attitudes and popular scenes, the attraction to landscape, and even humor and sarcasm.
Exhibition Structure (XVI-XVIII Centuries)
Flames in the Snow is organized around four major chapters that encompass the great stylistic variety of European art between the 16th and 18th centuries. Although the backbone is constituted around the art emanating from the Netherlands, this is supported by comparison with similar approaches that emerged in other European centers.
- Portraits: The exhibition opens with portraits signed by artists such as Gaspar de Crayer, Joos van Cleve, Gillis Claeissens, Anton Van Dyck, Jacob van Loo, or Hyacinthe Rigaud, in addition to the Spanish artists Alonso Sánchez Coello, Juan Carreño de Miranda, Claudio Coello, or Juan Pantoja de la Cruz.
- Genre Painting: It continues with Abraham Willemsens, David Teniers II, and Hendrick de Mayer among the painters dedicated to genre painting and scenes of everyday life.
- Landscape: The work of Jan van Goyen, Jacques D´Arthois, or Gerrit Claesz, among those dedicated to landscape, is shown on the lower floor.
- Still Life (Naturaleza Muerta / Bodegón): Finally, Frans Snyders, Willem van Herp, Adriaen Verdoel, Juan van der Hamen, Gabriel de la Corte, or Bartolomé de la Dehesa close the fourth section dedicated to still life and *bodegón* (Spanish still life).