Bartolomé Esteban Murillo
Bartolomé Esteban Murillo (/mjʊəˈrɪloʊ, m(j)ʊˈriːoʊ/ mure-IL-oh, m(y)uu-REE-oh, Spanish: [baɾtoloˈme esˈteβam muˈɾiʎo]; late December 1617, baptized January 1, 1618 – April 3, 1682) was a Spanish Baroque painter. Although he is best known for his religious works, Murillo also produced a considerable number of paintings of contemporary women and children. These lively realistic portraits of flower girls, street urchins, and beggars constitute an extensive and appealing record of the everyday life of his times. He also painted two self-portraits, one in the Frick Collection portraying him in his 30s, and one in London's National Gallery portraying him about 20 years later. In 2017–18, the two museums held an exhibition of them.[1][2]
In this Spanish name, the first or paternal surname is Esteban and the second or maternal family name is Murillo.
Bartolomé Esteban Murillo
late December 1617; baptised January 1, 1618
April 3, 1682 (aged 64)
Spanish
painting, drawing
Childhood[edit]
Murillo was probably born in December 1617 to Gaspar Esteban, an accomplished barber surgeon, and María Pérez Murillo.[3] He may have been born in Seville or in Pilas, a smaller Andalusian town.[4] It is clear that he was baptized in Santa Maria Magdalena, a parish in Seville in 1618. After his parents died in 1627 and 1628, he became a ward of his older sister Ana and her husband, Juan Agustín Lagares, who coincidentally also happened to be a barber.[3] Murillo seemed to have remained close to the couple considering he did not leave their house until his marriage in 1645. Eleven years later, he was named the executor of Lagares' will despite his sister having already died.[5] Murillo seldom used his father's surname, and instead took his surname from his maternal grandmother, Elvira Murillo.[3]
Legacy[edit]
Murillo had many pupils and followers. The prolific imitation of his paintings ensured his reputation in Spain and fame throughout Europe, and before the 19th century his work was more widely known than that of any other Spanish artist.[7] Artists influenced by his style included Gainsborough and Greuze.[3] Google marked the 400 years since Murillo's birth with a doodle on November 29, 2018.[11]
Young Man with a Basket of Fruit or Personification of Summer, c. 1640–1650, National Galleries of Scotland
St. Jerome, c. 1650–1652, Museo del Prado
The Virgin of the Rosary, c. 1650–1655, Museo del Prado
Murillo's painting The Spanish Page is the subject of an ekphrastic poem by in Fisher's Drawing Room Scrap Book, 1837. See
The Spanish Page.
Letitia Elizabeth Landon
The Madonna and Child., engraved by Robert Graves for The Easter Gift, 1832, with a verse by Letitia Elizabeth Landon
