Zurbarán

The Standard

Melanie McDonagh

Even the godless will be enraptured by this drama

"Francisco de Zurbarán is not a household name here when it comes to 17th-century Spanish art, but this exhibition may change that. For in painting after painting we encounter genius."

The Guardian

Jonathan Jones

Ecstatic visions, primitive surrealism … and the finest loincloths ever painted

"The word 'visionary' is done to death but the 17th-century Spanish painter Francisco de Zurbarán demands it: he paints supernatural things naturally and natural things supernaturally. Space becomes different in his world, melting distance and erasing the barrier between you and the picture."

The Telegraph

Alastair Sooke

More agony than ecstasy

"For non-believers, though, who might not be moved by (or familiar with) the pictorial conventions of 17th-century Catholic Spain, this exploration of the career of Francisco de Zurbarán (1598-1664) could be hard going. Yet, they can also seem theatrical, like spot-lit actors whose performances don't quite convince."

The Times

Waldemar Januszczak

This is one of the greatest shows I've ever seen

"He could do most of the things Velázquez could do — he could certainly do startling realism — but with Zurbarán the facts are turbocharged by a darkness that makes his work feel prickly. Zurbarán trumps Velázquez in his strangeness."