Jose de Ibarra (1688 - 1756)

Born in Guadalajara this great mexican painter was the disciple of Juan Correa. Along with his contemporary Manuel Cabrera they are considered the most representative artists of the first half of the 18th century, defined by the search for aesthetics and styles that emulated Rafael and Murillo. They parted with the european tradition and became masters with styles that were all their own. Even though his mentor was Correa the greatest influences for Ibarra were Bartolome Esteban Murillo, Juan Rodríguez Juárez and Peter Paul Rubens from whom he takes subjects and adapts them to fit his style.
He was known in his time as the Mexican Murillo, because of the similarity of techique with soft strokes, strong facial expresions and a sense of symetry in hiw composition. He was constantly searching for contrast, with strong characters in his work, that created a world of extreme barroque. His most noted works are his self portrait (Pinacoteca Virreinal, Mexico City), the portrait of the Archbishop of Manila, D. Carlos Bermudez de Castro (Museo Nacional, Mexico City), The Resurection (Pinacoteca Virreinal, Mexico City), and the tryptic Relicario de San Jose (Seminario de Tepoztlan) where he explores thebiblical subjects of the Escape to Egypt, Transition of St. Jpseph and the Partonage of St. Joseph.
Jose de Ibarra died in Mexico City on November 21, 1756.