Murillo, Bartolome Esteban, << moo REE lyoh, ` bahr` toh loh MAY ays TAY bahn >> (1618-1682), was a Spanish painter of the 1600’s. He is considered the best interpreter of the gentle, optimistic side of Christianity. He is known for the warmth and humanity of his paintings.
Murillo’s painting The Immaculate Conception shows the delicate beauty and fine shadings of light and atmosphere that characterize his work. Like many of Murillo’s paintings, this work has a gentleness critics of the early 1900’s found too sentimental. Today, his complex spiraling compositions, fluid brushwork, fine drawing, and subtle colors are much admired. Murillo also painted dignified and flattering portraits and scenes of daily life. He is one of the few artists who created realistic and sympathetic paintings of children.
Murillo was born in Seville on Jan. 1, 1618. His paintings before 1645 were influenced by the realism and dark coloring found in the work of artists from southern Spain. In 1645, the Franciscan Order in Seville gave Murillo his first important commission. In that same year, Murillo visited painter Diego Velazquez in Madrid. There he was also inspired by Flemish and Venetian masters. In his later work, Murillo became more concerned with problems of light, color, and atmosphere. By 1660, he was Spain’s most popular painter. Murillo died on March 28, 1682.
