Brief Biography-Alonzo Cano was an architect-sculptor and painter. He was born in Granada, where his father taught him architecture. In Seville, he did sculpture with Juan Martínez Montañés and received his painting instruction from Juan del Castillo and Francisco Pacheco. There is speculation that he may have also been in the school of Francisco Herrera, the Elder. In 1637, he found work in Madrid with Count Olivarez, decorating his palace. Under the Count’s patronage, he received the office of the Superintendent of the Royal Works. In 1650, he directed works on the cathedral of Toledo and executed paintings in the church of Porta Coeli in Valencia. He was also a mathematician. In 1652, he entered a religious order in Granada and dedicated his life to painting. People referred to him as the Spanish Michelangelo, a reference acquired from his sculptures and pictures in Granada Cathedral, particularly his work on the façade of that cathedral. Although he had a reputation for violence, accused of murdering his wife, he got an acquittal after not confessing under torture. Many of his most dramatic works are on view in Granada.