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"THE ECSTASY OF ST. FRANCIS. "-FROM THE PAINTING BY MURILLO.

doubtful whether he was the pupil of that artist, but he certainly imitated his style. Orrente was much patronized by the Duke of Olivarez, for whom he executed some works in the Palace of the Buen Retiro.

His pupil, Estéban March (died 1660), distinguished himself principally in painting battle

scenes.

THE ANDALUSIAN SCHOOL.

Two local schools, as we have already said, arose about the same time as that of Seville, one at Cordova, the other at Granada. Let us choose the most illustrious masters from each.

Luis de Vargas (1502-1568) was first a pupil of Diego de la Barrera, and afterward of Perino del Vaga, in Italy, and had the distinguished honor of being the first to introduce and teach in his country the true method of oil and fresco painting. It was he who substituted the Renaissance art for the Gothic.

Vargas passed twenty-eight years in Italy, but eventually died at his native Seville. Among other celebrated pictures by him, there was La Calle de la Amargura (Way of Bitterness), of the year 1563, which has since disappeared, owing to the injuries it received from time and unskillful restorations; the Temporal Generation of Christ, in the chapel of the Conception in the cathedral of Seville. His works are remarkable for brilliant coloring, character and expression, but are wanting in harmony of

tone.

Pablo de Céspedes (1536-1608) achieved success alike in science, literature, and the fine arts. After a visit to Rome, where he was much impressed by the works of Michelangelo, he received a canonry in the chapter of Cordova, and gave up his time peacefully to the different studies to which his taste and knowledge led him. The best literary work of Céspedes is the one he wrote in 1604, the title of which is "Parallel between Ancient and Modern Painting and Sculpture." His most famous picture is an enormous Last Supper placed over the altar in one of the chapels of the cathedral of Cordova. Almost all his other works, the names of which are preserved, have entirely disappeared, without our even knowing where to look for them.

Alonso Vázquez, who died in 1649, was a pupil of Arfian, at Seville, and was chiefly famous for his historic subjects.

Juan de las Roelas (1558-60-1625) was brought up for the profession of a doctor, and graduated at the College of Seville, whence he is often called "el licenciado Juan." He is supposed to have studied art at Venice. He lived, afterward, chiefly at Madrid and Seville. One of the best painters of the Andalusian school, he brought to his fellow-countrymen from Italy the gift of Venetian coloring, which he had studied under the pupils of Titian and Tintoretto. Among his best works are: Santiago Mata-Moros assisting the Spaniards at the Battle of Clavijo, the cathedral; at the church of the Cardinal's hospice, the Death of S. Hermenegildo; in the church S. Lucia, the Martyrdom of the patron saint; and, lastly, in S. Isidor, the Death of the Archbishop of Seville, in a very imperfect state. Roelas was the instructor of Zurbaran.

Francisco Pacheco (1571-1654) is famous for the academy which he opened for imparting instruction to young artists, and in which, if report be true, he improved his own style. Among his pupils in this school were his son-in-law, Velazquez, and Alonso Cano. In 1618 the Inquisition appointed him one of the guardians of the public morals, in which capacity he was responsible for the sale of any picture in which the human figure was represented naked. As an artist, he succeeded best in portrait painting; and Cean Bermudez tells us that he was the first man in Seville who properly gilded and painted statues. He was also the first to paint the backgrounds and figures in bass-reliefs. Pacheco was rather a man of letters than a painter; he wrote a treatise on the "Arte de la Pintura"; as a painter he cannot take high rank, and as a writer on art he exercised a detrimental influence upon its development in Spain.

Francisco de Herrera (1576-1656), commonly called "el Viejo" (the Elder) to distinguish him from his son, who bore the same Christian name. He studied Painting under Luis Fernandez, and soon became one of the most original artists of his time in Spain. He lived most of his life in Seville, but in 1650 he removed to Madrid-in which city he died. He was so gloomy and violent that he passed nearly his whole life in solitude, and was abandoned by all his pupils-among whom was the celebrated Velazquez-and even by his own children. He painted his pictures, as he did everything else, in a sort of frenzy. He used reeds to draw with, and

large brushes to paint with. Armed in this manner, he executed important works with incredible dexterity and promptitude. The enormous Last Judgment, which he painted for the church of S. Bernardo at Seville, where it still hangs, proves that Herrera was a painter of no mean abilities. His frescoes, too, on the cupola of S. Buena Ventura at Seville, are worthy of great praise-of these pictures Herrera made various etchings.

Juan del Castillo (1584-1640), the younger brother of Augustin del Castillo, was a painter of no great note. He studied art under Luis Fernandez and soon became famous as a historic painter. He is more renowned as a teacher of painters than as an artist. He can boast of having imparted instruction to Pedro de Moyo, to Alonso Cano, and even to the great Murillo.

Francisco de Zurbaran (1598-1662 ?) belongs to the Andalusian school, because he studied under Roelas at Seville, and passed the greater part of his life there.

In 1630 he was invited to Madrid, and was soon afterward appointed painter to Philip IV. In 1650 the monarch employed him to paint the Labors of Hercules in the palace of Buen Retiro.

It is universally acknowledged that the best of Zurbaran's compositions-that in which all his good points are united and where there is greatest display of talent is the S. Thomas Aquinas, painted about 1625 for the church of the College of that saint, now in the Museum of Seville, which possesses the finest collection of his works. In the Pardo at Madrid there are fourteen pictures attributed to Zurbaran. In England, the National Gallery, in which the artists of Spain are very poorly represented, has but one picture by this artist. It is a vividly natural portrait of a Franciscan Monk. In the Duke of Sutherland's collection at Stafford House there is a fine specimen of Zurbaran, a Madonna and Child with the Infant S. John.

Zurbaran was one of the first Spanish painters in whom we recognize an independent and national style. In his works the strength and weakness of his school are alike strongly brought out; the heads are powerful and life-like, admirably expressing religious fervor, mental agony, or triumphant faith. The coloring and chiaro-oscuro are remarkable for depth and breadth; but the design of large groups is wanting in harmony, and there is no attempt

to idealize or tone down the expression of suffering.

Alonso Cano (1601-1667), has been termed the "Spanish Michelangelo," merely because he was a painter, sculptor and architect. Like Michelangelo, he was a better sculptor than painter, but his only works in architecture were those heavy church decorations called "retablos" (church screens), which he not only designed, but for which he himself made all the ornaments, either statues or pictures. Alonso Cano lived for some time at Seville, afterward at Madrid, and toward the close of his life at Granada, his birthplace; and, provided with a rich benefice, tranquilly passed the last years of a life which had been agitated by travels, passions and adventures. He left seven of his works to the Museum of Madrid. Among these are S. John writing the Apocalypse; the Dead Christ mourned by an Angel, and a fine Portrait.

Antonio del Castillo y Saavedra (1603-1667), the son of Augustin del Castillo and the nephew of Juan del Castillo, studied first under his father, and, after his father's death with Francisco Zurbaran. He painted chiefly at Cordova, which city possesses many of his works.

Francisco Varela (died 1656) was one of the best of Roelas's pupils. He executed chiefly historic subjects. Bermudez praises the correctness of his drawing and his Venetian-like coloring.

Pedro de Moya (1610-1666), who was first a pupil of Juan del Castillo, enlisted in the Flemish army, but still continued to practice art. Having seen and admired the works of Van Dyck in the Low Countries, Moya, in 1641, went to London in order to study under the great artist, who unfortunately died a few months after his arrival. He then returned to Granada, where he executed several works of merit. The Louvre possesses an Adoration of the Shepherds by him.

MURILLO..

Bartolomé Esteban Murillo, the most renowned painter of the Spanish school, was born at Seville and baptized on the 1st of January, 1618. He passed a melancholy youth in ignorance and neglect. Juan del Castillo, a distant relation, gave him, out of charity, his first lessons in an art in which he was to find fortune and renown. But Murillo soon lost his teacher, who went to live in Cadiz, and for a long time he had no master but

himself. Deprived of an intelligent guide and of all regular study, obliged to live by his pencil before he had learned to use it, he was compelled to paint hastily executed works, either for sale in the weekly fair, or for exportation to America.

Murillo was already twenty-four years old when the painter Pedro de Moya passed through Seville on his return from London to Granada, bringing copies of Van Dyke, of whom he had received a few lessons. At the sight of the

works of Moya, Murillo was in ecstasies, and felt his true vo

cation. With a few reales in his pocket, acquired by much labor, and without asking advice or without taking leave of any one, he set out on foot for Madrid. On his arrival at the capital, he went at once to present himself to his fellow-countryman Velazquez, who was

turned to Seville, where his first works were for the convent of S. Francisco. In 1660 he established the Academy of Seville, but he held the presidentship for one year only. He had returned to Seville in 1645, and, until his death, which occurred at that city on the 3d of April in 1682-in consequence of

MURILLO.

twenty years older than himself, and then in the height of his glory. The king's painter received the young traveler with kindness; he encouraged him, brought him forward, procured him useful work, an entrance to the royal palaces, and the Escurial, besides admitting him to his own studio and giving him advice and lessons.

After two years of study in Madrid, Murillo re

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a fall from a scaffold while engaged in painting an altar-piece of S. Catherine for the church of the Capuchins at Cadiz-he scarcely left his native town; and it was during these thirtyseven years that his numerous paintings were executed.

Murillo had three styles, which are term

ed by the Spaniards, frio, cálido and vaporoso (cold, warm, and aërial).

Seville at first was filled to overflowing

with Murillo's

works; and it

has retained a large number of

the best. In one of the chapels of its cathedral

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may be seen the largest painting by Murillo, the Ecstasy of S. Antony of Padua. In the gallery of pictures formed in an old convent are the Miracle of the Loaves and Fishes, Moses striking the Rock; and other works in the Provincial Museum are S. Felix of Cantalisi; the Madonna de la Servileta; S. Thomas of Villanueva distributing alms to the poor-the painting which Murillo himself preferred of all his works

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