MURILLO, ESTEBAN (1617-1682) Follower.

"Virgin & Child" (c.1750)
oil on canvas
124 x 95cm
unsigned
*private collection, Sydney

One of the most popular artists of his time, Bartolomé Esteban Murillo was a legendary Spanish Baroque painter, best known for his religious works, as well as realistic depictions of the everyday life of his times. His early work was influenced by the painters Zurbaran, Jusepe de Ribera, and Alonzo Cano, who all held a realistic approach to painting, a technique which was adapted by Murillo. His work was characterized by both realism and tenebrism, or the contrast of light & shade, which he combined to make soft forms full of rich colors. His later works evolved into a polished style that fed the tastes of the Bourgeois and aristocrats of his day, & he received many commissions for them. He also received many important commissions from the religious orders of the Franciscans & the confraternities in Seville & Andalusia. The themes that therefore gave him the greatest success were religious, being the Virgin & the Child & the Immaculate Conception. In his lifetime, Murillo had a great number of pupils & followers, & in 1660, he founded the Academia de Bellas Artes in Seville, Spain. Until the 19th century, he was the only Spanish artist widely known in the European world, & his work was subsequently imitated, ensuring his fame throughout Spain & in Europe.
 
This stunning, early painting follows in the tradition of 17th century Baroque painters, with a subject matter heavily favoured & regularly painted by Murillo. The original canvas was relined more than 200 years ago