The Life of Spanish Baroque Painter Martolome Esteban Murillo

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On January 1st, 1618, Bartolome Esteban Murillo was born in Seville Spain. Murillo was the most famous Spanish Baroque painter of his time, known for his religious works.
Murillo was the youngest of fourteen children, born to Gaspar Esteban, a barber, and María Perez . Murillo gained his surname from a traditional Andalusian custom, taking the name of his grandmother, Elvira Murillo. In 1627, Murillo’s father passed away, and his mother died a year later. Murillo was an orphan at ten years old, and was sent to live with his older sister and her husband.
Murillo was exposed to the art world from a young age. His uncle was a painter, who married the daughter of another successful artist. All the daughters of this couple went on to marry artists. When Murillo was around 12, he was an apprentice to local painter Juan de Castello. Not much is known about his years as a young art student, other than he began his career as a professional artist by creating that was exported to the Indies, and painting decorations for festivals. Murillo's early style was realistic, and he often painted local peasants. Around this time Murillo may have made a trip to Madrid around this time. From the studies on this trip, his works became tender and soft.
1645 was a big year for Murillo, marrying the wealthy Beatriz Cabrera y Villalobos, and he got his first important commission. During this decade, Murillo’s popularity rapidly increased. He surpassed his rival and became the most popular painter of Seville.
The end of the 1640’s and 1650’s were Murillo’s busiest years as an artist, even though there were many obstacles in his life. In 1658 Murillo made another trip to Madrid, where his studies had a major impact on his future works.
Murillo had ...

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...e light and shadows. The room the boy is in is very dark, and a strong beam of light shines on the boy. Space is illustrated in how Murillo places the objects in the painting. The boy appears to be far back against the wall, while a water jug is towards the front. Texture is seen on the walls, the boy’s skin, the jug, and the basket of apples. Shape is displayed by the light and shadows in the picture. Without the light, everything would blend together. The light shines and casts shadows off of the objects and boy, giving him and the objects form. The color scheme Murillo uses are dull earthly colors, adding to the dull, sad mood of the painting. I like the emotion portrayed in this work. Looking at the boy and his surroundings, you can almost feel his sadness and emotion. I like paintings that display strong expression and emotion. The painting is pictured below.

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