Francisco de Zurbarán

Probable self-portrait of Francisco de Zurbarán as Saint Luke, c. 1635–1640

Years of life:	1598 – 1664
Artist's Teachers:	Francisco Pacheco
Art Movement:	Baroque

Genre:	Religious , Still-life , Mythology
Country:	Spain
Century:	XVII

He is considered a remarkable, but not a great artist. His main customers were Spanish religious orders. He depicted saints and monarchs while praying or meditating. Like Caravaggio, his work has a hard-edged realism, employs strong chiaroscuro effects, and demonstrates a smooth technique and care for precise detail. Often does not convey emotion very convincingly. Died in poverty.

Francisco de Zurbarán’s major works are Beato Serapio, 1628 (Hartford, Connecticut: Wadsworth Atheneum); St. Margaret, 1630–34 (London: National Gallery).

References:

Robert Cumming. Art: complete encyclopedia. – 512 p. – Moscow: Astrel, 2005.

Artworks:

Saint Luke as a painter, before Christ on the Cross, detail

between 1630 and 1639

Saint Luke as a painter, before Christ on the Cross, detail • between 1630 and 1639
The Adoration of the Shepherds

1639

The Adoration of the Shepherds • 1639
Childhood of the Virgin

between 1658 and 1660

Childhood of the Virgin • between 1658 and 1660
Saint Francis in Ecstasy

Saint Francis in Ecstasy