Juan Miñarro

Research at the heart of craftsmanship

• Juan has always had a vocation in medicine and anatomy
• He is Associate Professor at the University of Seville
• He wrote a book called The Holy Shroud: Art and Mystery

The tense muscles and tearful countenance of Juan Miñarro’s religious sculptures overwhelm with realism. For this Sevillian imaginero, his works have to compel. “There has to be an inner soul to the figures,” he says. He achieves this through a masterful representation of anatomy. Juan recalls his vocation in medicine before deciding to study at the Academy of Fine Arts of Seville, where he specialised in sculpture and graduated in 1978. His thesis, The study of artistic anatomy for the iconography of Christ crucified in sculpture, paved the way for the following decades of his career: dedicated work, study, teaching and a passion for archaeological forensics that led him to collaborate with the Spanish Centre for Sindonology. Juan is now Associate Professor at the University of Seville, Doctor in Fine Arts, and Numerary Academic of the Royal Academy of Fine Arts of Saint Elizabeth of Hungary. His studying of the Shroud of Turin has enabled Juan to capture the realism of the crucifixion in his works as in Córdoba’s Sindonic Christ, one of his masterpieces.

Interview

©Juan Manuel Miñarro

©Juan Manuel Miñarro

How have formal training and apprenticeship impacted your career?

Going through the academy is essential. You cannot be self-taught for this craft. Experience gives you very little information and you have to dive into history to understand what is required. My experience as an apprentice to Francisco Buiza, master painter, also determined my decision to choose religious sculpting as a career.

What material do you prefer to work with?

The material I appreciate most is wood. It is organic and has similar properties to human tissue. It has a vascular system, can be altered by humidity, temperature, insects and parasites that can make it vulnerable. The spirit of the forest also resides in wood.

How have you innovated in your work?

Though I am faithful to the Seville school, I realised my resources had to be varied. This includes anatomy. I believe it is imperative to return to the study of anatomy from a current human perspective. The opportunity to study the Shroud of Turin as a sindonologist and member of the Spanish research team EDICES has permitted this from a scientific stand point.

What challenges do you encounter in representing Christian religious themes?

There is a dichotomy between suffering and joy. The sublimation of the passion of redemption is based on the idealisation of nature to restore a glorious state. It has to transmit joy, beauty, love and complete peace. The Christ of the University Brotherhood of Cordoba has both expressions.

Juan Miñarro is a master artisan: he began his career in 1984 and he started teaching in 1986

Works

©Juan Manuel Miñarro

©Juan Manuel Miñarro

©Juan Manuel Miñarro

©Juan Manuel Miñarro

Where