Picture The Scene As Painted Sculpture Resurfaces In Prado Exhibition

Polychrome wood enhanced by other media, circa 1671, by Saint Ferdinand Pedro Roldán (sculptor) and Luisa de Valdés (polychrome artist). Photograph: Alberto Otero Herranz

When we think of art sculpture we probably think of marble and bronze. The uniform colour of solid materials always offers a fresh lighting and can even magnify certain characteristics and mannerisms. We’ve probably all laughed at some of the modern sculptures, especially of football players, that seem to miss the mark. A cartoonish sense of impressionism has taken over the agenda with a lot of modern homages. Perhaps in years to come the seemingly skewwhiff expressions will become a source of endearment and something to remember these historical characters for. The ancient statues from antiquity are usually much more lifelike, with attention to detail reflecting the reality of the human form. We don’t know if they really looked like that, or the model at least, but we can still admire the beautiful forms offered today. 
 
When you think of painted statues, you might think of Games Workshop. The adult's and children’s war gaming phenomenon involves buying your characters and painting them before using them in the game. The setting isn’t the same as other sculptures, after-all the mass produced and plastic figurines can hardly compete with an artist’s handiwork. Yes, they are fun and it can be something for everyone to enjoy, we don’t play chess to admire the king. Painted sculpture in the art world is often termed polychrome sculpture, which means multicoloured. The art of painting and the art of sculpting can unite in the form of vivid and three-dimensional objects. 
 
In Prado, Spain, the art of polychrome sculpture is taking the forefront in a new exhibition. The Roman Catholic culture in Spain is renowned for its iconography. Images of religious figures are used to help people connect with their ideas of God and faith. Some churches see these as so-called graven images, which are forbidden, however other churches see them as essential tools for bringing people closer to the creator of everything. As the artist creates the shapes then uncovers their reality with life-like colour, the people from stories and history are almost brought back to life. 
 
Hand In Hand- Sculpture And Colour In The Spanish Golden Age is a new exhibition in the Spanish area of Prado. Including the work of Luisa Roldan, the first female polychrome sculptor in the Spanish royal court, the exhibition demonstrates the exquisite and iconic imagery multicoloured sculpture has to offer. The scenes depicted are varied, with many religious figures from various cultures making up the majority. This showing of art wants to highlight the discrimination the medium has received in recent years. Not only the gender of the artists but the art form itself has often been dismissed as not proper or an imitation of the real masters. Hand In Hand wants to put this concept to bed and show the true mastery behind the empathic and narrative depictions.  ​