Bartolome Esteban Murillo : Paintings from American Collections - 1617-1682 - Reviews - Book Review

Contemporary Review, Sept, 2002

Bartolome Esteban Murillo (1617-1682): Paintings from American Collections. Susanne L. Stratton-Pruitt, editor. Harry N. Abrams in association with the Kimbell Art Museum. [pounds sterling]30.00 (US$60.00). 208 pages. ISBN 0-8109-0390-3. As Timothy Potts points out in his introduction, Murillo's fame as a Spanish painter was in time eclipsed by Velasquez, El Greco and Goya.

However his paintings, both worldly (mainly low-life) and religious demand closer re-examination. This collection of essays accompanies an exhibition of Murillo's works in Texas' Kimbell Art Museum. It covers all aspects of the painter's works and life. The first essay, by the exhibition's guest curator and editor of this volume, Dr Stratton-Pruitt, gives us a biographical portrait of Murillo as a seventeenth century artist. Afterwards there are essays covering: Murillo's devotional paintings; the Seville drawing academy of which the artist was one of the earliest presidents; Murillo's 'cabinet pictures' on stone, metal and wood; an examin ation of Murillo's technique as a painter; and a look at the collecting of his paintings round the world. There is also a catalogue. There are 188 illustrations of which 55 are in full colour. The text and the illustrations live up to the high standards already set by Abrams.