ARTSEDGE: Don Quixote: Making Connections to the Arts: The Visual Arts

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Visual Arts: Murillo

Bartolomé Esteban Murillo (1617-82) was born in Seville where he spent most of his life. At a young age, he spent a lot of time in the workshop of Juan del Castillo, a local artist who became a great influence on his work and in his life. He is considered to be one of the greatest figurative painters that were working out of Seville in the second half of the seventeenth century and was one of the first Spainish painters to become well known throughout Europe.

"At some point in his life, probably in the late 1640s, Murillo is believed to have visited Madrid. In any case, after 1650 his use of color and light and his natural, human portrayal of figures seems to show the influence of Diego Velazquez. In Madrid, Murillo would also have seen paintings by the Flemish and Venetian masters, and the work he did in Seville between 1650 and his death seems to show these influences, too. Because Murillo did not put a date on most of his paintings, these changes in his style are often used to determine the order in which he painted them." (Artchive)

The National Gallery of Art biography.

Bartolomé Murillo (1617 - 1682)
Two Women at a Window
c. 1655/1660
oil on canvas
49 1/4 x 41 1/8 in.
Widener Collection
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.

"A standing woman attempts to hide a smile with her shawl as she peeks from behind a partially opened shutter, while a younger woman leans on the window ledge, gazing out at the viewer with amusement. The difference in their ages might indicate a chaperone and her charge, a familiar duo in upper-class Spanish households. Covering one's smile or laugh was considered good etiquette among the aristocracy." To read more on this painting, visit the National Gallery of Art Web site.

Bartolomé Murillo (1617 - 1682)
The Young Beggar
c. 1650
oil on canvas
The Louvre, Paris

"Along with many religious works, Murillo has left us a striking image of childhood in this picture of a boy delousing himself. Caravaggiesque in inspiration, it is an uncompromising portrayal of a young and ragged Sevillano with dirty feet in a barren setting." To read more on this painting, visit the Louvre site.

Bartolomé Murillo (1617 - 1682)
The Little Fruit Seller
1670-75
Oil on canvas
Pinakothek, Munich

What does this painting convey about the lives of these children? What are they looking at in palm of the little girl's hand and what does it show about her quality of life? Do you think that the fruit the boy is buying is for his family?