The Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary is the dogma (defined in 1854) and context (incorruptibility) behind Michelangelo’s young face of Mary in his immortal masterwork, the poignant Pietà (created 1498–1499), where she carries the dead body of the crucified Jesus Christ. The Renaissance marble sculpture is housed in St. Peter’s Basilica, Vatican City.
Juan Luna's oil on canvas painting of the Immaculate Conception was his student work and a copy of the Spanish master Bartolomé Esteban Murillo. The work was created circa 1875, with 24” x 18 3/4” dimensions. The painting is now part of the Lopez Museum and Library collections.
The academy of Manila used copies of Spanish masterpieces as models to be copied by local students. Luna’s early attempt fumbled the musculature of the right cheek, but his mastery of light contrasts prefigures the Spoliarium’s dramatic chiaroscuro.
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