Cordoban artist María José Ruiz, recognized for her career, has completed a highly significant commission: the official portrait of Pope Leo XIV, created for his upcoming apostolic journey to Spain. The Spanish Episcopal Conference entrusted Ruiz's technique to immortalize the Pontiff, aiming to capture his "kindness and intelligence."
The commission, received in March, presented a considerable challenge due to the tight deadline. Ruiz, despite her experience, felt "immense vertigo" facing the responsibility and limited time. "The work had to be done, because I am an artist, but also a professional," she stated, adapting to a process that, though accelerated, resulted in a two-meter work of great technical complexity that left her "very satisfied."
This professional milestone, according to the artist herself, positions Pope Leo XIV as the most important figure she has portrayed. While she admits she would like to paint David Gilmour, guitarist of Pink Floyd, she considers painting the Pontiff to be the apex of her career as a portraitist.
The creative process focused on evoking the figure of the first Augustinian Pope, Saint Augustine, and his encounter with the child on the beach. Ruiz integrated references to the work 'De Trinitate' and the mystery of humility before divinity. The choice of St. John Lateran Basilica as the setting was due to its connection with Leo XIII, the basilica's importance as the cathedral of Rome, and as a tribute to the Church as a patron of the arts, mentioning artists like Galilei and Borromini.
To capture the Pontiff's personality, Ruiz researched his background as a mathematician and pianist, finding a special connection. She highlighted his "very particular expression and a beautiful smile," managing to reflect a combination of "intelligence and kindness" in his gaze.
Although she has not yet formally spoken with the Episcopal Conference, Ruiz knows the Pope has seen the painting and expressed "very beautiful words about it, with a depth and intelligence" that impressed her. "I had never received such a compliment," she confessed.
The painting's pictorial metaphor is concentrated at the Pontiff's feet, with elements such as the child's footprints, a small well of water, and a shell, alluding to Saint Augustine and the apostle Saint James. The sandy ground evokes the Pope's years in Peru, symbolizing charity and love for one's neighbor, transforming "cold marble into warm sand."
St. John Lateran Basilica holds personal resonance for Ruiz, who exhibited a painting about Mother Teresa in its atrium in 1997, inaugurated by then-Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger. This commission closes a significant circle in her professional journey.
