Sebastian de Arteaga, a priest and notary for the Inquisition, was another excellent artist belonging to the school of Echave. He dis plays vigor, power, freedom of movement and a boldness unknown up to his time in the Mexi can school. His style is less finished than that of his great contemporaries and his coloring is not so good; but his figures of the Virgin are graceful and beautiful. He is content, too often with carefully executing his central figures and leaving his accessories but poorly done. His style is truer to nature than that of the elder Echave but he lacks the grace of the old mas ter and that simplicity which distinguishes the early Mexican painters. In his work there is a dash and a freedom with the brush that might have made of him a really great artist had he given his whole attention to art; but he had too many other occupations to permit him to work out his own salvation. In the Mexican National Academy there are three notable pictures of his: (The Betrothal of the Virgin,' (Saint Thomas Putting his Hand into the Wound of the Christ' and his (Adoration of the Wise Men) de Echave (1632-82) the younger, son of the elder artist of the same name, de veloped a style very different from that of his father. He was bold and vigorous but too impatient to finish his work well. His draw ing is frequently faulty and his execution re minds one of Arteaga, of whom he was a con temporary. His compositions, however, show plenty of life and a strong sense of the dra matic. Although he was a follower of Arteaga, he foreshadows the new school which distin guished the following century. His ment> is one of the most notable works of the old Mexican school. Two other notable pic tures of his, (The Triumph of the Church' and (The Triumph of Faith) are both in the Puebla Cathedral, which also possesses several other pictures of his. (The Savior,' (The Martyr dom of Saint Peter of Veronica,' Four EVangelists,) in the Mexican National Acad emy are also good pictures.
The latter part of the 17th century, which Arteaga and Echave the younger influenced strongly, was very active in art. Juan Correa, whose drawing and coloring are excellent, painted much. His work shows freedom of execution, a firm handling of the subject and an easy swing of the brush, but his tone is often oppressive. Six great paintings of his are in the cathedral. With Correa begins a period of decadence in Mexican art. But he was a great teacher and he introduced new ideas into Mexican art which were destined to become the most noticeable motive power of the new school made famous by Tbarra and Cabrera, his two most noted pupils. He was lavish in his employment of figures, loved immense can vases and aimed at grand and imposing scenes. His grouping is artistic and the general tone of his picture is good. His characters show sin cere feeling, and there is a general air of de votedness about his more deeply religious canvases. He has been rather under than over estimated by modern critics. His boldness of
conception, freedom of execution and daring inspired to greater attainments his two great pupils. His
Nicolas Becerra, who also belongs to the lat ter half of the 17th century, anticipates the characteristics of the painters of the first half of the 18th century, excellent coloring, bold ness of conception and rapidity of execution. Another, Diego de Becerra, a Franciscan monk, of the same period, devoted his energies to de picting scenes and events in the history of the order. Many of his pictures were in the con vents of the Franciscans in Mexico City and Puebla. Another priest, Nicolas Rodriguez Juarez, shows good coloring, simplicity of style and studied and well-executed drapery, all char acteristically foreshadowing the coming school. He was the best portrait painter of his day. His 'Santa Gertrudis Offering her Heart to the Crucified Christ' (1690) is in the Mexican National Academy. Other pictures of his are in the Profesa and other churches of the capital.
Juan Rodriguez Juarez (1675-1728), nephew of Jose and brother of Nicolas, enjoyed a very high reputation in his day; and he had a strong influence over the younger artists, who were destined to later establish a new school. He was very prolific and many of his works sur vive. He painted a series of scenes of the Virgin of Tepozotlan, of which the most real istic and best executed represents the flight into Egypt, 'San Antonio,' 'San Francisco de Queretaro,'
Among the other artists of this period are Jose Torres, Manuel Orellano, Diego Casanova, Juan de la Plaza (extravagant in coloring and execution) and Manuel Luna (coloring and drawing good). So brilliant is the coloring of the latter's work that much of it has been passed off as that of Murillo and his pictures have been gathered up and shipped to Europe, where they have been sold as works of the great Spanish master.