Spanish school of the XIX century. Follower of Bartolomé Esteban Murillo.

Spanish school of the XIX century. Follower of BARTOLOMÉ ESTEBAN MURILLO, (Seville, 1617 - Cadiz, 1682).
"Child Jesus carrying the Cross".
Oil on canvas.
Presents restorations and patches on the back.
Measurements: 111 x 84 cm.

We are in front of a follower of Bartolomé Esteban Murillo. During the 19th century many painters copied the great masters who knew their pieces through great museums and noble collections.

It is an outstanding example of the tender and deeply devotional style of the master of the Sevillian Baroque school. The painting shows the Child Jesus full-length, holding a cross, symbol of his future Passion and sacrifice. Murillo needs nothing more (he avoids the crown of thorns and other Passionist iconography) to communicate the immense humanity and redemptive nature concentrated in the face, hands and bare feet of the little one. The innocence of the Child Jesus, together with that of the Immaculate Conception, was Murillo's great theme. Warm tones illuminate the flesh tones and model the angelic face, with fleshy, well-drawn lips, a small nose with soft flaps, and large eyes that look towards God the Father, evoking spiritual connection. The faint glow and fluffy texture of the cheeks is also characteristic of the author, as are the golden locks that fall naturally to the shoulders. A masterful use of light highlights the sweet and kind expression of the infant. The figure, round and ethereal at the same time, is in a natural setting, of which we can only glimpse grasses that sow the ground and, with their greenery, enhance the pink color of the tunic. This work, and the rest of Murillo's religious paintings, were created in a period when Spanish art sought to inspire religious devotion as part of the Counter-Reformation. Depictions of the Christ Child as Passionary are common in Spanish Baroque, as they served as pedagogical tools to convey Catholic theology in an accessible and emotionally impactful manner.

Little is known about Murillo's childhood and youth, except that he was orphaned of his father in 1627 and of his mother in 1628, for which reason he was taken under the tutelage of his brother-in-law. Around 1635 he must have begun his apprenticeship as a painter, very possibly with Juan del Castillo, who was married to a cousin of his. This working and artistic relationship would last about six years, as was customary at the time. After his marriage, in 1645, he began what was to be a brilliant career that progressively made him the most famous and sought-after painter in Seville. The only recorded trip he made is documented in 1658, the year in which Murillo was in Madrid for several months. It may be thought that at the court he maintained contact with the painters who resided there, such as Velázquez, Zurbarán and Cano, and that he had access to the collection of paintings in the Royal Palace, a magnificent subject of study for all those artists who passed through the court. Despite the few documentary references regarding his mature years, we know that he enjoyed a comfortable life, which allowed him to maintain a high standard of living and several apprentices. Having become the first painter of the city, surpassing in fame even Zurbarán, moved his will to raise the artistic level of local painting. For this reason, in 1660 he decided, together with Francisco Herrera el Mozo, to found an academy of painting, of which he was the main promoter.