The Life of St. Ignatius Loyola. Plate 2. Ignatius writes the Spiritual Exercises in the cave at Manresa.

A spiritual vision unfolds vertically: St. Ignatius crouches at the cave floor in dark robes, bent in prayer or writing, anchoring the lower portion of the composition. Above him, an angel in warm oranges floats within a luminous, pale-cream glow that radiates from the cave's interior. The cave walls frame this vision with dramatic diagonal striations running downward and outward, creating a sense of enclosure and spiritual focus. Light streams from above, pushing the brightest tones into the central halo while the surrounding rock recedes into cooler, darker greens and browns. Your eye lifts naturally from the dark, grounded figure toward the glowing, weightless angel.

The painting operates in three distinct value zones: deep darks in the foreground figure and cave shadows (roughly value 2–3), a broad middle range of mid-browns and greens in the cave structure (value 4–6), and a luminous, near-white halo around the angel (value 8–9) that acts as the emotional and visual climax. When you squint, the composition reads as a dark silhouette anchored at the base, with a single bright focal point floating above—a simple but powerful structure. The transition between these zones uses soft, blended edges rather than hard separations, creating atmospheric depth.

• #565748

  Burnt Sienna + Ultramarine Blue + touch of Raw Umber

  Deep shadows in the cave walls and the seated figure's darkest folds

• #8e8976

  Yellow Ochre + Raw Umber + Titanium White

  Mid-tone cave wall areas and local rock surfaces

• #5e6353

  Viridian + Burnt Umber + Ultramarine

  Olive-green shadows in the cave recesses and vegetation patches

• #aba593

  Raw Sienna + Titanium White + Yellow Ochre

  Lighter rock faces and atmospheric transitions

• #d4c9a8

  Titanium White + Raw Sienna + touch of Cadmium Yellow

  The glowing halo and luminous area surrounding the angel

• #c97a3a

  Cadmium Orange + Cadmium Red + touch of Yellow Ochre

  The angel's robes—a warm, saturated accent against cool surroundings

The brushwork is economical and atmospheric: the cave walls show visible directional marks that follow the striations of the rock, achieved with dry-brush or loaded strokes laid diagonally. Edges are deliberately soft throughout—the angel's form dissolves into the glow at the edges, and the transition from shadow to light is blended and gradual, not crisp. The seated figure, by contrast, holds slightly sharper edges to anchor the composition, but even these are softened by shadow. There is restraint here; the artist prioritizes luminous effect over surface texture.

1. 01

   Block in the composition and light masses

   Lightly sketch the three main elements: the seated figure at bottom center, the cave walls framing the composition, and the glowing halo above. Establish the light source as coming from above-center, creating a vertical core of brightness. Block in the two main value regions: dark (foreground and cave shadows) and light (the halo and sky area). Use thin washes to establish this structure without detail.

2. 02

   Establish the cave wall structure and directional marks

   Paint the cave walls with diagonal striations running downward and outward from the halo. Use a mix of grays, olive-greens, and warm browns. Lay strokes to suggest the flow of the rock face—these marks will give the walls their sense of weight and texture. Keep the center (around the angel's area) lighter and less saturated than the peripheral walls. Leave the halo area untouched and luminous.

3. 03

   Define the seated figure's silhouette and pose

   Paint the crouching saint in deep shadow—use blacks with subtle warm undertones in the robes. Work the proportions carefully: the hunched posture, the bent knees, the angle of the head. The figure should read as a solid, grounded mass against the lighter cave floor. Use value alone to model the form; avoid overworking the interior. The figure is the visual anchor and must feel substantial despite being darkly lit.

4. 04

   Create the luminous glow around the angel

   Paint the halo and surrounding atmospheric glow using pale creams, soft yellows, and very light grays. This is the painting's emotional center—it should feel weightless and ethereal. Apply the color with soft edges, allowing it to transition gradually into the surrounding darker tones. Do not outline the angel; let the glow define the figure's boundaries. This area should appear to emanate light rather than simply be lighter than the surroundings.

5. 05

   Paint the angel figure with warm, saturated color

   Using warm oranges and golds, paint the angel's robes inside the glow. The figure should be clearly lit and luminous, standing out against the cave by temperature and saturation, not by darkness. Work the drapery with simplified forms—let the warmth of the color and the soft edges suggest the fabric without overworking details. The halo should frame and support the figure without overwhelming it.

6. 06

   Develop shadows and value transitions

   Deepen shadows in the cave walls that surround the glow, pushing cooler, darker greens and browns into the periphery. Work the shadowed areas of the seated figure to give it subtle modeling—avoid hard edges. Create smooth transitions between the illuminated central zone and the darker surrounding rock. The goal is an atmospheric envelope that gradually cools and darkens as you move away from the light source.

7. 07

   Add foreground rock formations and final details

   Introduce the darker, more detailed rocks in the immediate foreground below and around the seated figure. Use greens with darker undertones here. Add small details sparingly—the hint of a scroll or tablet in the figure's hands, subtle weathering on the rock faces. Maintain restraint; the painting's power lies in its simplicity and atmosphere, not in minute detail.

8. 08

   Final atmospheric softening and luminous integration

   Review the overall effect by stepping back. If any transitions feel harsh, soften them with a dry blend. Ensure the halo maintains its luminous, weightless quality—it should feel like the source of light, not just a brighter area. Check that the warm orange of the angel's robes is sufficiently saturated to stand out and that the cool, dark envelope of the cave reinforces the vision's otherworldly nature. Make final adjustments to preserve the spiritual mood.

• The cave walls risk becoming a uniform, dead mass if you don't vary their value and temperature—use the directional striations to suggest form and depth, and cool the shadows with greens while warming the lit faces slightly.
• The luminous glow around the angel can harden into a cartoon halo if you overwork its edges or make it too uniform in color—keep edges soft and transitional, and let subtle warm-cool shifts within the glow suggest its atmospheric nature.
• The seated figure will lose form and presence if painted too darkly without internal modeling—use warm and cool shadow shifts to suggest the folds and body underneath the dark robes, even though the overall value stays low.
• The angel figure risks appearing flat or oversaturated if its orange is not balanced with the subtle yellows and creams of the surrounding glow—let the two colors play together, with the figure slightly less saturated at the edges where it meets the light.

beginner friendliness

value contrast

palette complexity

compositional simplicity

brushwork visibility