Quito School; late 17th century. "The Fall during Calvary". Oil on canvas. Re-drawn. It presents restorations. Sizes: 139 x 125 cm; 150 x 136 cm (frame). In this canvas the author captures one of the most dramatic moments of the Way of the Cross, the moment in which Christ bears the weight of the cross. In this episode it is common to see Simon the Cyrenian helping Jesus to carry the cross, or Veronica offering him a cloth to wipe his face clean of blood and sweat. However, the author of this canvas dispenses with these figures and seeks no theological meaning other than that of Christ s own suffering and voluntary sacrifice on behalf of humanity. In fact, this supreme generosity is reinforced by Jesus own gaze, which is directed towards ours. The monumentality of the figure of Christ defines the whole image, in such a way that other elements such as the other figures or the landscape in the background are relegated to the background. Exhausted by the blood lost in the scourging, weakened by the physical and moral suffering inflicted on him the night before, and without having slept, Jesus could barely take a few steps and soon fell under the weight of the cross. Then followed the blows and imprecations of the soldiers, the expectant laughter of the crowd. The Messiah, with all the strength of his will and with all his might, managed to get up and continue on his way. According to theological interpretations, Jesus invites us by his actions to carry our cross and follow him, he teaches us here that we too can fall, and that we must understand those who fall; that none of us must remain prostrate, we must all get up with humility and trust, seeking his help and forgiveness. Technically and stylistically, the work is part of the Quito school, one of the most important colonial hotbeds of religious art in the world during the Baroque period. Indigenous and mestizo artists trained in the workshops of the convents of the Ecuadorian capital. In the 17th century, the Quito school of painting began to flourish, represented by four great masters: Hernando de la Cruz, Miguel de Santiago, Isabel de Santiago and Nicolás Javier Goribar, artists who started from a tradition originating in Spain, transgressing the imposed style and contributing an idiosyncratic language to their pictorial work. It is worth mentioning that, during the Spanish colonial domination, a mainly religious painting was developed, aimed at Christianising the indigenous peoples. Local painters were modelled on Spanish works, which they followed literally in terms of type and iconography. The most frequent models were harquebusier angels and triangular virgins; however, in the early years of the 19th century, at the time of independence and political openness in some of the colonies, several artists began to depict a new model of painting with its own identity.