User:Bglasses/The Apotheosis of St. Thomas Aquinas

The Apotheosis of St. Thomas Aquinas is an altarpiece painted by Francisco de Zurbarán. It is his largest work (15’ 7” X 12’ 3 5/8”) and one of his most famous masterpieces. Zurbarán was commissioned on January 21, 1631 by the Dominican College of Santo Tomas de Aquino to create an altarpiece that followed as closely as possible to the guidelines of the rector of the college.

Purpose
As a devotional image, the painting serves several purposes. The first is to honor the Dominican saint Thomas Aquinas and his contributions to learning by arranging him in between the four fathers of the Latin Church while being protected by the Holy Spirit. The second is to inspire viewers to live a religious and peaceful life, and the third is to celebrate the founding of the College of Santo Tomas de Aquino in 1517 by the Dominican cardinal Diego de Deza.

Style and Symbols
Zurbarán’s painting style and technique conveys the meaning of the picture. Vertical formats were popular in the sixteenth and early seventeenth centuries in Seville, and Zurbarán was able to bring out the many figures in the painting in a clear manner. Zurbarán went through several stages of painting styles in his life time, and around this time period, Zurbarán painted in an extremely realistic manner—there are no distinguishing features between heavenly and earthly figures, except that heavenly figures are merely placed on a second register of clouds above mortals to show the difference in status.

Thus, the painting is clearly separated into two parts: “heaven" is located above the clouds whereas “earth” is below in a background of pale architectural buildings. “Heaven” and “earth” are both divided symmetrically by Thomas Aquinas who stands in the center of the painting.  Common symbols of Thomas Aquinas, including the dove, pen, and book, surround his position.  Thomas Aquinas stands as an equal in heaven in the middle of the four fathers of the Latin Church (from left-right, Saints Ambrose, Gregory, Jerome, and Augustine).  The emphasis on learning and studies is placed on the serious faces and heavy, draping robes of the four fathers as they pore over thick, large books.  To further highlight the looming size and grandness of heaven, Zurbarán paints into the background a second row of people (from left-right, Christ, Virgin Mary, Saint Paul, and Saint Dominic) and an almost unnoticeable third row of people looking on as Thomas Aquinas ascends into heaven. In the lower section of “earth”, Zurbarán depicts Diego Cardinal de Deza founding the College of Santo Tomas de Aquino. Opposite to his right, Charles I kneels in front of the college charter, and both the Cardinal and the King are surrounded by monks in prayer.