3-098-977 - Heritage Art/Heritage Images

The vision of Fray Martín, 1894. Painting inspired by Canto I of Gaspar Núñez de Arce's poem of the same name, in which the Augustinian friar Martin Luther (1483-1546) attends matins at his monastery, taking his place in the choir stalls. Two monks lead the ceremony before the lectern, presided over by a large crucifix and two tall candles. The scene remains in darkness, broken only suddenly by visions arising from Luther's tormented mind. In the background, the Gothic stained-glass windows of the church can be discerned, and behind the altar, skeletons are piled up in fantastical poses, just as the poem describes. The scene, which evokes the doubts and temptations traditionally attributed to Martin Luther, is clearly symbolic and highly suggestive. The tones are dark; colour and light are concentrated on the reddish flame of the candles and the ghostly visions that torment Luther. In the foreground, the figure of the woman dominates the friar's dramatic attempt to deny her.