Bartolome Esteban Murillo - Isaac Blessing Jacob [c.1660]

Bartolome Esteban Murillo - Isaac Blessing Jacob [c.1660], a photo by Gandalf's Gallery on Flickr.

Murillo was apprenticed early to the painter Juan del Castillo. When, in 1639, Castillo left Seville for Cadiz, Murillo did not enter any workshop of a known artist, as it was the traditional way of all the beginners, but preferred to stay independent. It is said that to gain a living Murillo started to make sargas - cheap paintings on rough canvas sold at country fairs, and shipped to America by traders. Obviously his paintings appealed to the taste of the public, besides they revealed a certain talent of the young man. That was why the Franciscan monastery in Seville commissioned this unknown artist with a cycle of 11 paintings with scenes from the lives of Franciscan saints, which, after their execution, brought Murillo fame. The artist seldom dated his works.

[Oil on canvas, 245 x 357 cm]

Bartolome Esteban Murillo - Christ Healing the Paralytic at the Pool of Bethesda [1667-70]

Bartolome Esteban Murillo - Christ Healing the Paralytic at the Pool of Bethesda [1667-70], a photo by Gandalf's Gallery on Flickr.

The pool of Bethesda in Jerusalem was periodically visited by an angel, and whoever first stepped into the water after this visit would be cured of illness. Christ visited the pool and a sick man complained to him that he was never able to get to the pool first. When Christ said to him, 'Rise, take up thy bed, and walk', the man was miraculously cured. The painting was made for the church belonging to the hospital of the Caridad (Charity) in Seville. The Caridad was a charitable brotherhood dedicated to helping the poor and sick of the city. Murillo was himself a member of the brotherhood.

Murillo painted six large pictures for the church representing six of the seven acts of charity (the seventh is represented by a sculpture which remains in place on the high altar). Two of the paintings are still in the church, while the other four, including this one, are now in various museums. This picture represents the act of visiting the sick.

[Oil on canvas, 237 x 261 cm]