Spanish Baroque Masterpieces: Zurbarán, Murillo, Velázquez
Francisco de Zurbarán: St. Hugh in the Refectory
St. Hugh in the Refectory of the Carthusians is a Baroque style oil on canvas. Originally located at a monastery in Seville and now housed in the Museum of Fine Arts in Seville, it focuses on a religious theme. Among the three large canvases of the monastery, this is the most complex and intense. St. Hugh is represented when he visits the refectory of the Carthusians, where the monks have fallen asleep between Quinquagesima Sunday and Ash Wednesday. Zurbarán used foreign models for the composition; the arrangement of the table, the bishop, and the page originated from a Florentine picture. The faces constitute a gallery of figures, creating a prodigious, self-absorbed volume.
Bartolomé Esteban Murillo: Realism and Devotion
Bartolomé Esteban Murillo found his greatest success with topics such as the Baby Jesus, John the Baptist, and the Virgin as a child. His depictions of children are never merely "miniature adults" but reflect a profound realism. One of his best-known works is The Good Shepherd, located in the Museo del Prado. The childhood of Jesus is shown under the care of his parents, as Murillo draws on simple characters; this is reflected in The Holy Family with a Bird. In Children with a Shell, the lamb—a symbol of John the Baptist—looks at the children.
Through religious themes, Murillo also reflects the reality around him, as seen in works such as The Young Beggar (The Child Deloused) and Children Eating Watermelon and Grapes. The struggle for the recognition of the dogma of the Immaculate Conception of the Virgin was very important in Baroque Seville. The most significant example is the Immaculate Conception of Soult (1678). Currently in the Museo del Prado, this religious work sees the traditional attributes of the Virgin disappear; she is depicted with a white robe and blue cloak. The cherubs create a diagonal that is reinforced by the shadow area and the movement of the various groups.
Other Notable Spanish Baroque Painters
Other significant Spanish Baroque painters include Claudio Coello, Alonso Cano, Ribalta, and Valdés Leal.
Diego Velázquez: The Seville Stage
Biographical Aspects
Diego Rodríguez de Silva y Velázquez was born in Seville in 1599. His father was of Portuguese descent, and his mother came from a well-known family in Seville. At 12 years old, he entered the studio of the painter Francisco Pacheco. In Velázquez's painting, we can distinguish several stages, beginning with the Seville Stage.
The Early Works of Velázquez
During this period, Velázquez sought to dominate naturalism and bring relief to his representations using light that accentuates volumes and places ordinary things in the foreground. Some of these early works were preserved; the production of this stage is focused on religious-themed works and genre scenes. These include:
- Christ in the House of Martha and Mary
- The Supper at Emmaus
- Devotional pictures such as The Immaculate Conception
- St. John on Patmos
- Adoration of the Magi
Two of his masterpieces from this era are The Water Seller of Seville and Old Woman Frying Eggs. (Continuous stages to follow...)