Admiring the 17th-century Spanish artist Francisco de Zurbarán, Henri Matisse commented on “the simultaneously light and pastose treatment given to the bone-white capes in which he dressed his monks.” For those unfamiliar with the term “pastose”—as I was—it derives from the Italian pastoso, meaning doughy, like pasta. Indeed, Zurbarán’s subtle matte whites and his panoply of rich blacks fortify and sustain us. In their vibrant contrasts, these two colors also evoke virtue and evil, a significance that was essential to this wonderful painter, whose canvases invoke a code of behavior in keeping with their religiosity.
“Zurbarán: Reinventing a Masterpiece,” opening next Thursday at the Musée des Beaux-Arts de Lyon, provides a rare opportunity to see the artist’s work in the range and depth it deserves. Located near the Saône river in this small and charming city, known for its history of silk-making and unequaled cuisine, the Musée is one of those marvelous mid-sized museums that makes art readily accessible. A visit there followed by a walk to one of the local bistros near the river—order pâté en croute, quenelles, and tarte aux pralines—combines some of life’s greatest pleasures. Zurbarán’s touching canvas of a beatific sheep with curly white hair; his poetic and exquisitely crafted still lifes, featuring crystalline vessels and pieces of fruit; and his great religious paintings—with works such as these only two hours from Paris, Lyon is the place to be.
