Our Art History Group examining the Golden Age of Spanish Art met on Friday 20 February 2026 for an insight into the life and work of Bartolomé Esteban Murillo (not to be confused with Santiago Costa dos Santos Murillo the footballer) in the first half, and Gian Lorenzo Bernini after half-time.

So much of Murillo’s artworks contain elements which lead to discussion of features found in the works of other artists. Murillo was born on New Year’s Day 1618 in Seville, and spent much of his working life there until his death in 1682, aged 64. Jennifer introduced us to some of the features in paintings that were developed most successfully by Murillo even if he had not created the first examples. We started with the Fictive Frame, where the subject appears to be framed by a wooden or stone oval, and as shown above, and he even has a hand reaching out across the frame.

Murillo is famous for his portraits of many important people – especially wealthy patrons in the church. The painting above shows his portrait of Don Justino de Neve, one of his most devoted patrons, painted when Murillo was 47 and at the height of his powers. The painting is full of small details all of which tell a story about the sitter..

These two painting also tell a direct story. On the left are two boys sharing grapes and a melon. The boy on the right with the melon looks enviously at the boy of the left who is eating his way up a bunch of grapes. By way of contrast, the picture on the right shows a solitary beggar boy starving whilst living in the street, and he is covered in lice.

Many of his works depict ordinary people of the time, with children playing games or adults peering from upstairs windows at the activities below. In this work we see a Flower Girl with a selection of blooms in her shawl. Some experts believe that she is the personification of Spring, but it was her natural good looks and charm which struck our members.

Murillo had painted many religious themed works for churches, monasteries and convents, and this one titled The Flight From Egypt showed a donkey one could almost stroke. This led Jennifer into a long discussion of the meaning of The Immaculate Conception and how it was always depicted in the 17th Century with a 12-starred halo and a crescent moon.

There are many examples of Murillo’s work to be found in art galleries in and around London.

After a break for tea and coffee, we returned to The Fab Four, concentrating this time on Gian Lorenzo Bernini. Whilst there is no evidence that Murillo and Bernini ever met, it is clear that they would have been aware of each other – one in Seville and the other in Rome, especially with other artists travelling between the two centres. Bernini was a successful Sculptor, Architect, Town Planner and Theatrical Set Designer.

Everywhere you travel in Rome, you are in the presence of his work, as a sculptor and as an architect/town planner. Perhaps amongst his major achievements is the courtyard with the two embracing colonnades outside St Peter’s Basilica in Rome, with the vista down to the Tiber as shown above. We saw how the original layout of Rome had been altered to create the view we know today.

We were also able to explore the Baldachino in St Peter’s Basilica along with the Chair of St Peter and the many emblems denoting the sponsorship of Pope Urban VIII. The sights of Rome in this talk were truly inspirational.

Our Art History Group’s next meeting will be on Friday 06 March 2026 at 10:00am.