Sevillian school, follower of BARTOLOMÉ ESTABAN MURILLO; XVIII century.

Sevillian school, follower of BARTOLOMÉ ESTABAN MURILLO; XVIII century.
"Ecce homo".
Oil on canvas.
Measurements: 60 x 47 cm.
In this scene represents Jesus Christ as Ecce Homo, located in the foreground on a dark background that gives greater prominence to the bust. In the work Jesus appears dressed with the crown of thorns, although the gesture of his face is not of pain, but of sorrow. The intense red of his tunic, added to the snowy brightness of his torso and face, provides a luminous counterpoint that accentuates the drama of the scene. It follows Murillo's models that can be seen in the figure is worked from a naturalistic perspective. Aesthetically the work follows the models of the master Murillo.
Little is known about Murillo's childhood and youth, except that he was left fatherless in 1627 and motherless in 1628, which is why 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.