La Inmaculada Concepción de María: Arte, Teología y Simbolismo en la Obre de Gregorio Vásquez de Arce y Ceballos

Abstract

Religious iconography has played a fundamental role in Christian life, serving as a bridge between theology and believer’s visual experience. In this context, Gregorio Vásquez de Arce y Ceballos’ depiction of the Immaculate Conception is an artistic manifestation of the theological and devotional development surrounding this dogma. Following the typological method, the image of Mary without original sin can be understood considering Old Testament figures, such as Eve or the Ark of the Covenant, which prefigure her role in the history of salvation. This approach, used by the Church Fathers, highlights the continuity between the Old and New Covenants, presenting Mary as the pinnacle of divine grace and a foreshadowing of redemption in Christ. Vásquez de Arce y Ceballos’ work, framed within Neogranadine Baroque, responds both to the sensus fidelium that preceded the 1854 dogmatic definition and to the pedagogical function of sacred art. Thus, his painting not only illustrates doctrine but also invites the believer to contemplate the mystery of grace, rooted in Scripture and expressed in the Church’s liturgy.