PEDRO ANASTASIO BOCANEGRA (Granada, 1638 - 1689) "San José with Child". Oil on canvas. Relined. It presents repainting and air bubble in the re-entellation. Measurements: 102 x 77 cm. In the centre of the scene, the figure of the sleeping Infant Jesus stands out for its rounded and dazzling flesh, as the body of the Child radiates the only light of the scene. In a slightly strained posture, Jesus rests leaning on the table and on his father, as his little feet rest on Joseph's knees. Joseph gazes at his proud, inebriated son, holding one of the little feet with one of his hands in an affectionate and close attitude. Both figures are shown to the viewer in an intimate manner, set against a neutral background with few details. These allude to Joseph's profession, such as the work table, the tools and the remains of the wood carving that have fallen to the ground. Until the Counter-Reformation, the figure of St. Joseph was usually relegated to the background, as no theological importance was attached to him. After the Council of Trent, however, his leading role as the protector of Jesus during his childhood and as a guide during his youth was restored, and he is depicted here as such. In contrast to the tenderness, defencelessness and candour of the infant figure, Saint Joseph is presented as a monumental figure. Through this form of representation, the author visually emphasises the decisive role of Jesus' putative father as protector. From its style, we can relate this image to the hand of Pedro Atanasio de Bocanegra, a painter from Granada who was a disciple of Alonso Cano, Pedro Moya and Juan de Sevilla, the most active artist in Granada in the 1660s. His first known work was the decorations for the Corpus Christi festivities in his native city in 1661. During the following years we find commissions such as the series of canvases he executed between 1665 and 1666 for the cloister of the convent of Nuestra Señora de Gracia, now lost; or the numerous paintings, including the "Conversion of Saint Paul", which he painted between 1668 and 1672 for the altar of the college of the Society of Jesus, now the church of Saints Justo and Pastor (in situ). At the same time he was commissioned to decorate the Carthusian monastery in Granada with large scenes from the life of the Virgin. He was also appointed painter to the cathedral. After this period he went to Seville in 1686, and from there he left for the court of Madrid, where he was protected by Don Pedro de Toledo, Marquis of Mancera. Thanks to the influence of his protector, Bocanegra was awarded the title of painter to the king "ad honorem" for his painting "Allegory of Justice", inspired by a mid-16th-century Venetian print and now in the Royal Academy of San Fernando. After his stay in Madrid, Pedro Bocanegra returned to Granada. In addition to the aforementioned art galleries and religious centres, works by this master can now be found in the Zaragoza Museum, the Goya Museum in Castres, the Diocesan Museum of Sacred Art in Vitoria and the Fine Arts Museum in Granada, as well as in various private collections.