Diego de la Cruz was a Spanish painter, probably of Flemish origin. He collaborated with the sculptor Gil de Siloé in polychromating various Castilian retables. Stylistically he belongs to the Hispano-Flemish school.
Christ as the Man of Sorrows is depicted with the wounds of his Passion, resurrected and seated on his tomb. This was a widely disseminated image in northern and central Europe at this period, intended for private meditation on Christ’s suffering.
Diego de la Cruz is one of the most outstanding representatives of Hispano-Flemish painting. He co-worked with Gil de Silo� decorating altarpieces, and they produced outstanding works. This painting reveals the Germanic influence which the artist shared with Gil de Silo�.
In this work created for the church of Torre de los Molinos, a town in the province of Palencia, Christ is portrayed as the Man of Sorrows, a mystic representation that was usually placed in the centre of the predella in Gothic altarpieces. His image stands out against a golden and polychrome ground, in imitation of the rich fabrics of the period, above which we read the Latin inscription “I am the way, the truth, and the life.” The mantle framing the figure presents angular pleats in Flemish style, in a vitreous red produced by the use of a lacquered pigment.
But the most remarkable feature is the quasi-scientific study of the human figure, in which the bone structure and muscles are faithfully represented by means of blended colours and a careful shaping, taking great advantage of the technical qualities of oil painting. The painter succeeded in capturing the effect by means of which shaded areas occasionally receive reflected light from their surroundings, as we can see in the lower edge of Christ’s left hand and arm.
