About the Artist

Bartomome Esteban Murillo (1617 Seville-1682 Seville) is the chief representative of High Baroque and one of the best-known Spanish painters. In 1627 he began an apprenticeship with Juan del Castillo, but was also heavily influenced early on by the work of Francisco de Zurbaran and Jusepe Ribera. Around 1650 he turned to the works of Anthonis Van Dyck, Peter Paul Rubens, and Raphael. Murillo developed a light and filmy style. The estilo Vaporiso, with soft contours, delicately toned colors, and a golden-to-silver veil of light. He concentrated on religious and genre themes, working mainly in Seville, where he became one of the co-founders of the Art Academy in 1660. His works include Beggar Boy, c. 1645, Musee du Louvre, Paris; The Angelic Kitchen of St. Diego of Alcala; 1646, Musee du Louvre, Paris; and Apparition of the Child Jesus to St. Anthony of Padua, 1656, Cathedral, Seville.