Doubting Thomas
| Support Type: | Canvas |
| Paint Type: | Oil Paint |
| Current Location: | Museo Nacional de Arte |
| Location History: | The painting was commissioned for the Augustinian convent of Saint Agustin in Mexico City. UNAM's research indicates that the painting was made for the cloister of the convent of San Agustin. By the 19th century, Jose Bernardo Couto recorded that it was located in the presbytery of the church of San Agustin, above the door of the sacristy. This original setting is important because the painting's monumental scale and dramatic lighting would have been particularly effective within a religious architectural environment. The painting was reportedly displayed opposite The Supper at Emmaus by Francisco de Zurbaran, creating an interesting dialogue between two works of Spanish naturalism and connecting Arteaga's Mexican career with his Sevillian artistic background. Around 1861, colonial paintings were transferred to the Real Academia de San Carlos, where they became part of its galleries of old painting. This was an important stage in the transformation of the work from a devotional object associated with an Augustinian institution into an object of historical and artistic study. In 1964, Mexico reorganized its national museums and cultural collections and subsequently the collection of New Spanish paintings belonging to the Academia de San Carlos were transferred to the newly established Pinacoteca Virreinal de San Diego in Mexico City's historic centre. In 2000, it finally entered the MUNAL collection, where it is housed currently. |
Like many theatrical compositions, "Doubting Thomas" exemplifies the baroque era aesthetic through various visual and narrative devices. Painted by Sebastian Lopez de Arteaga; a Spanish born painter who travelled to Mexico (New Spain) in 1640 CE from Cadiz, where he spent the remainder of his career. By completing multiple commissioned works in a short span of time, Arteaga established himself as a prominent practitioner in Mexico City. Arteaga also developed a close professional relationship with the Holy Office of the Inquisition and was appointed a notary of the Holy Office, a distinction that he proudly included in the signature on some of his paintings. Coming from the Sevillian tradition, Arteaga's style has several striking features such as Spanish naturalism, accurate anatomical rendering and Caravaggesque chiaroscuro, with figures emerging sharply from darkness which can also be defined by the term 'tenebrism'. "Doubting Thomas" showcases excellent visual storytelling through nuanced visages and the play of light and shadow directing the mood and ambience. It depicts one of the most psychologically powerful episodes from the Gospel of John 20:24–29, wherein, one of Jesus' disciples; Thomas is doubtful about the reappearance of Christ. Though informed by the other disciples, Thomas remains skeptical and refuses to believe without physical evidence, declaring that he would need to see and touch Christ's wounds. When Christ appears again, he invites Thomas to examine the wound in his side. The painting captures precisely this moment; Christ takes Thomas's hand and directs it toward the wound in his side. This choice is crucial as Arteaga does not depict Thomas merely looking at Christ, he represents the moment of physical verification, that is, the instant in which doubt is confronted through tactility. The painter employs a simple semiology here; the surrounding characters around Christ and the background is dark, symbolically representing doubt and uncertainty while Christ standing centrally, dominating the composition is illuminated by an intense, sharp light, indicating the emergence of truth and faith. The Museo del Prado specifically notes that the composition resembles models employed by followers of Caravaggio, including Jusepe de Ribera, while Arteaga's Sevillian formation connected him with the naturalistic tradition associated with Zurbaran. Physiognomy plays an important role in establishing the narrative, especially Christ and the surrounding disciples apart from Thomas. The Incredulity of Saint Thomas is particularly important because it demonstrates how European Baroque naturalism was transformed within colonial Mexico and the subsequent developments that occurred due to this introduction in the visual culture.