Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1936891 in Books
• Published on: 2001-05
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 128 pages

Amazon.com Review
Murillo's gentle depictions of street life in his native Seville gained international popularity before his death in 1682, though since Ruskin accused him of sentimentality, art critics have been harsh. Murillo: Scenes of Childhood, a collaboration between the Dulwich Picture Gallery in London, and the Alte Pinakothek of Munich, attempts a critical reassessment of the artist. Twenty-three of his paintings of children, together with works by Velazquez, Ribera, and Villavicencio, are presented and discussed. The authors analyze Murillo's sophisticated brushwork and subtle use of composition and color to portray his charming subjects: mischievous young boys throwing dice or eating bread, girls selling flowers and fruit and possibly, themselves. Well-researched descriptions interpret each painting's moral message and explain it in terms of its own time--delousing a child's head, for example, had positive connotations, as lice were thought to avoid sickly children. Separate essays explore the religious and social context of Murillo's work and its continued popularity--Manet, Cezanne, and Picasso all copied his paintings, and the essays end by comparing his portraits of urchins with works by respected modern photographers, including the highly unsentimental Salgado. Human warmth and optimism shine from these paintings. They appear to reflect Murillo's genuine empathy and generosity: although he was the most highly paid painter in Seville, his acts of charity left him poor. Murillo: Scenes of Childhood reestablishes the artist's integrity as a brilliant draftsman and acute observer of children. --John Stevenson

From Library Journal
In this companion to an exhibit of the same name showing this year in London and Munich, Cherry (art history, Trinity Coll., Dublin; coauthor, Collections of Paintings in Madrid, 1601-1755) and Boroke (curator of European fine arts, National Museums & Galleries on Merseyside, Liverpool; Murillo in Focus. o.p.) focus on the genre paintings of 17th-century Spanish painter Murillo, which feature scenes of children and street urchins. Considered "low art" by critics of the time, Murillo's work was nevertheless popular and much copied. Murillo's charming paintings still glow with internal warmth, and the essays by Cherry and Brooke (e.g., "The Taste for Murillo's Genre Painting Across Europe") offer context. However, this is not a comprehensive study of Murillo, as his religious pieces are not featured. Ludmilla Kagane's Bartoleme Esteban Murillo (Parkstone. o.p.) and Brooke's previous book are more general. Recommended for academic libraries or specialized collections. Karen Ellis, Nicholson Memorial Lib. Syst., Garland, TX
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Customer Reviews

FITTING TRIBUTE TO A GREAT ARTIST
Long recognized as one of Spain's preeminent painters, Bartolome Esteban Murillo (1617 - 1682) worked for the most part in his native Seville, where he began his career as a painter of religious subjects. His earliest works were a series depicting the lives of Franciscan saints for Seville's Franciscan monastery.

In later life he opened a painting academy in his native city, and served as the academy's first president. He is also known for his touching scenes of beggar children, adroitly capturing their facial expressions and tattered garments in somber hues, many of which are featured in "Murillo: Scenes Of Childhood," a thoughtfully compiled tribute to the great Spanish artist.

Of special interest is the painting belonging to the Louvre in which Murillo first revealed the face of a street child, and the unforgettable painting known as "Four Figures On A Step," which captures three apparent beggars and a matron carefully cradling the head of a wounded urchin in her lap. The gazes from these faces remains an indelible impression for all who view this scene.