Luis de Morales. Between the human and the divine

His name may not be as well-known as contemporary El Greco, but Luis de Morales was certainly one of the best Spanish painters of the 16th century. Dubbed 'The Divine' thanks to his concentration on works with religious themes, he painted using a style of extreme realism. Living at the time of the Counter-Reformation, and influenced by different schools including the Lombardy and Flemish ones, De Morales produced numerous portrayals of the Virgin mother and child, his meticulous, detailed approach creating rich, starkly memorable paintings that are very much of the Mannerist movement. This show is staged by the Museu Nacional d'Art de Catalunya, an iconic site on Montjuïc that houses the world's most important collection of Romanesque art and Catalan modernisme.