" Again, in the archives at
Barcelona we find that Juan Cesilles, painter of history, was engaged
16th March, 1382, to paint the "History of the twelve apostles for the
grand altar of the Church at Reps for 330 florins." In 1339 one Gonzalez
Ferran had some reputation both as a wood engraver and a painter. He was
probably a miniaturist. In 1340-81, Garcia Martinez, a Spanish
illuminator, worked at Avignon. A copy of the Decretals, dated 1381, in
the Cathedral Library of Seville is by his hand.
In the fifteenth century we have many notices of painters, especially in
Toledo, whither the taste was in all likelihood brought from Naples
after the conquest of that kingdom by Alphonso V. of Aragon in 1441.
It has been observed by those familiar with native Spanish art that its
chief characteristic is that it is gloomy. This may be so, but it is not
fairly chargeable to the artists but to the tyranny of the Spanish
Inquisidor, who laid the embargo on the illuminator that he should not
follow the wicked gaiety of the Italians, nor the sometimes too
realistic veracity of the Flemings. This accounts usually for
backgrounds of black where the Fleming would have had rich colour or
gold for the prevalence of black in the draperies and for the sombre
tone in general of Spanish painting.
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