Page 41 - Contemporary Art and Old Masters

MURILLO’S “THE PRODIGAL SON” AND THE ART OF
NARRATIVE IN ANDALUSIAN BAROQUE PAINTING

The four central decades of the 17th century saw the
emergence in Andalusia of a type of painting that is
particularly representative of both the exceptional
creative level achieved by the region’s leading
painters and of the expectations and tastes of one of
the most active sectors of their clientele. These are
works organised in series, usually of medium size
and commissioned by private individuals for domestic
interiors and oratories. A number of these series recount
the progress of a “story”, either the life history of a
character with varying degrees of completeness or the
events within a specific episode in their life. The result
The Prodigal Son receives his inheritance Bartolomé Esteban Murillo (1617-
1682) Oil on canvas, 27 x 34 cm c. 1660-65 Madrid, Museo Nacional del Prado

Joseph’s Chastity Antonio del Castillo (1616-1668) Oil on canvas, 109 x 145 cm
c. 1650 Madrid, Museo Nacional del Pradoo

The Prodigal Son driven out by the Courtesans Bartolomé Esteban Murillo
(1617-1682) Oil on canvas, 104.5 x 134.5 cm c. 1660-65 Dublin, National
Gallery of Ireland

is to make them of enormous interest for understanding
the compositional devices employed by their creators and
their ability to narrate successive episodes. Among the
artists who produced series of this type were Bartolomé
E. Murillo, Antonio del Castillo, Juan de Valdés Leal and
Alonso Cano; four of the leading figures of Andalusian
Baroque painting.

The present exhibition is intended to introduce this
context, taking three of these series as its principal points
of reference: the one on the Parable of the Prodigal Son
by Murillo, the series on Joseph in Egypt by Antonio del
Castillo, and the one on the Life of Saint Ambrose by Valdés
Leal. A fourth section includes works from other series in
The Prodigal Son tending the Swine Bartolomé Esteban Murillo (1617- order to show how they were important vehicles for the
1682) Oil on canvas, 104.5 x 134.5 cm c. 1660-65 Dublin, National Gallery
of Ireland depiction of landscape, the emotions and daily life.

WORLD of ART 41