Juan Ximenes de Fernandez Navarrete

Juan Ximenes de Fernandez Navarrete
8 x 10 inches
Oil on canvas
February 2012
SOLD

Description:
This painting honors Juan Ximenes de Fernandez Navarrete (1526–1579), a Deaf Spanish artist who was known by the nickname “El Mudo” (“The Mute”). He was born in Navarre, Spain, and became one of the earliest known Deaf artists in history.

Navarrete studied drawing and painting at a monastery in Venice, Italy, where he was influenced by the great Italian painters Titian and Andrea del Sarto. In 1568, he was selected as the official court painter to Philip II of Spain.

Throughout his career, Navarrete created many important religious works, including thirty-two altarpieces. One of his greatest commissions was The Last Supper, a masterpiece that took him seven years to complete. However, Philip II did not fully appreciate Navarrete’s work and insisted that the painting be altered by cutting part of it so it would fit inside a church. Navarrete pleaded for permission to create a smaller version instead, but the monarch refused. The masterpiece was cut, permanently changing his work and causing Navarrete great distress.

Despite his talent and dedication, Navarrete was often overlooked in favor of Italian artists admired by the court. Many of his paintings were lost or destroyed, and only a small number of his works remain today, making them rare and historically significant.

This painting honors Navarrete’s artistic genius, perseverance, and place in Deaf history as a pioneering Deaf artist whose work survived despite the barriers he faced.