Cristobal Villalpando painted from about 1683 to 1710 in a very unequal manner: but few if any Mexican artists have had freer and bolder imagination than he or greater power of execution. In his imagination there was much of the poet, but he was affected with the Gon gorism of his age and exaggeration and com plexity mark his best work. His coloring is weak and his larger canvases are in poor taste yet some of his decorative work is excellent.
°Friar Manuel,)) a Jesuit priest, has been called the Murillo of Mexico on account of the brilliancy of his coloring; but his drawing is careless. His simplicity boldness and soft ness of coloring leave no doubt that he had studied Murillo.
Jose Tbarra (1688?-1756), one of the two best painters of the 18th century, followed Juan Rodriguez Juarez to exaggeration. His figures, perspective and drawing are good and the gen eral tone of his work is pleasing and effective but he shows strongly the mannerisms of his school. He is prodigal of reds and blues, often in masses, In the style of Murillo. He was a finished artist, a tireless worker and possessed of great natural talent. Many of his pictures exist in Mexico though many have been sold abroad. Nicholas Enriquez, an ardent admirer of Ibarra, was a follower of Rodriguez Juarez.
Miguel Cabrera, the close friend and col league of Ibarra, has maintained, for consider ably over a century, his position in the public estimation as the greatest Mexican artist of the 18th century. He was a most prolific worker. Even to-day, after dealers have been collecting his pictures for three-quarters of a century and sending them abroad, there are still scores of Cabreras in Mexico. He lived for his art and he painted pictures as Lope de Vega wrote plays, at a hot heat, with no time to pause. In 14 months (1756-57) he painted 32 pictures representing scenes from the life of San Ignacio for the Jesuit convent, and another series of like nature for Santo Domingo. His drawing is freer and better than that of most Mexican painters and he improved much on his inspirer, Rodriguez Juarez, softening the cruder tones and shunning exaggeration. His group ing natural • and excellent, his invention pleas ing and full of intelligence, his coloring soft yet brilliant cast a certain amount of beauty about all his work. His taste is not so good
as that of Echave the elder, his force less than that of Anteaga and his imagination less hold and free than Vilialpando's; yet the general average of his artistic qualities and the tender ness, devotion and mysticism displayed in his characterizations, easily place him in the front row of Mexican artists. His style is easy, light and comparatively free from mannerisms; and his brilliant coloring lacks the solidity of the previous school. Like Shakespeare he laid tribute upon all who preceded him, but upon all he made use of he placed the stamp of his own individuality, in grouping, painting and coloring and idealization. As he was the official painter of the Jesuits, their institutions were filled with his works. So great was his fame in his day that churches, convents, schools, the university and individuals overwhelmed him with orders and forced him to work to the limit of his capacity. With fame all kinds of honors came to him both at home and abroad. He was made official painter to the archbishop of Mexico and the archiepiscopal palace possessed many of his works. Rich churches paid him large sums to paint series of pictures for them. The min ing town of Taxco engaged him to do all the decoration of the new church in that rich dis trict and the church remains untouched to this day.
The 18th century witnessed the most active period in Mexican art, and more than 200 artists are said to have flourished during th's comparatively short space of time. Francisco Antonio Vallejo, Francisco Leon, Juan Patrico Morlot, Jose Paez, Nicolas Enrlquez and Jose Alcibar, all followers of Cabrera, reflect the characteristics of his style. Alcibar carried to exaggeration the softness of style of the school. He enjoyed a reputation second only to Cabrera, to whom he was really much in ferior in talent, imagination and execution.
After Cabrera no passably good artist ap peared for almost 50 years; for the enthusiasm that had built up the power of the Church in Spain declined rapidly even before the close of the 18th century; and with this decline, the erection and adorning of sacred edifices ceased, and good artists became scarce.