Bartolome Murillo: Velazquez

"The Holy Family (The Virgin of Seville) by Bartolome Murillo

"The attitude of the great Velazquez, painter of Spanish royalty, towards Bartolome Murillo, shows him in a most favorable light. He not only questioned his visitor about his family and ambition, and his motive for undertaking so long a journey, but being satisfied with his honesty of purpose, he provided him with lodging in his own house. He also procured him admission to the royal galleries. More than this, he examined the young student's paintings, pointed out his deficiencies, warned him of the pitfalls most dangerous to his genius, and submitted examples of his work to the King and the all-powerful minister, the Count-Duke of Olivares. What the art of Murillo owes to Velazquez can never be overstated.

Murillo's spirit responded to the inspiration of the new world which Velazquez revealed to him. By the advice of his master he restricted himself largely to the study of Ribera, Van Dyck and Velazquez, and surprised his mentor with some pictures of such undoubted excellence that his judicious critic pronounced him ripe for Rome. He even offered him money to cover his expenses, and letters of introduction to facilitate his visit, but Murillo declined to leave his native soil.

His apprenticeship was at an end, and his beloved province was calling him back to Seville. In 1645 he parted from Madrid and returned. An Andalusian he was born, and in the charmed atmosphere of his beautiful native city, he lived and worked to the close of his life, a life varied only by an occasional journey to Cadiz. In point of fact, his visit to Cadiz, on which he met with the accident which caused his death, is the only authentic instance we have of his ever again leaving the shadow of the Giralda Tower."

To be continued

(Excerpts from "Murillo, a Biography and Appreciation" by Albert Frederick Calvert.)