Sevillian Touch

I need to tell you about what I’ve seen during my trip to Seville. But where to start? You can find art anywhere; wherever you go you come across something wonderful. There’s no human ability to absorb so much beauty. Let’s try to visit the Museo de Bellas Artes: we’ll have enough to talk about…

It’s located in the old Convento de la Merced Calzada, founded in 1248; it was renewed in the XVII century with several gardens, a monumental stairway and a huge single-nave church. It opened as museum in 1841, with several artworks coming from expropiated convents and monasteries, from private collections and state purchases. Its collection covers from Middle Age to XX century, although his strongest feature is, of course, the baroque Seville School. You’ll find thre paintings by Murillo, Zurbarán, Valdés Leal, Velázquez, El Greco, Ribera, Zuloaga, Pacheco, Herrera, Madrazo, Jan Brueghel Velours, Cranach, etc.

There’s a lot to see and admire, but, undoubtedly, the most requested works there “Virgen de la Servilleta” and the so called “Inmaculada Colosal”, both by Murillo and part of the altarpiece of the former church there. 

Murillo, Virgen con el Niño Jesús
(Virgen de la Servilleta)
1666

“Virgen con el Niño Jesús” is a small sized painting (67 x 72 cm) that Murillo painted for the Capuchin convent. It’s better known as “de la Servilleta” due to a legend that claims that Murillo stole a serviette from the monks, and, few time after, he gave it back with the painting. There is another version of this same tale which is about a friar who asked him for a small Virgin to pray to in his cell and, since he had no way to buy him a canvas, he offered him the tissue. In any case, the tiny artwork is famous for its instantaneousness: it seems like the Christ Child is approaching.

Murillo, Inmaculada
Concepción (La
Colosal) 1650

On the other hand “Colosal” is huge (436 x 202 cm). It’s a representation of Virgin Mary according to the Immaculate Conception archetype, even though this one is standing on a full moon instead of on a half-moon. It’s also looking downwards since it was placed quite high in the San Francisco convent.

“San Hugo en el refectorio” by Zurbarán deserves to be analysed deeplier. It’s a big painting (267 x 320 cm) and it’s not a tenebrist painting, as his artworks tend to be. It was commissioned by the Carthusian Order, who we have already talked about some other time. 

Zurbarán, San Hugo en el refectorio, 1645

In the painting we can see the 7 brother founders of the order. Saint Bruno is in the middle, and in front, Saint Hugo, Bishop of Grenoble, and his page. Put up on the wall, we can see a painting about the rest during the runaway to Egypt with Virgin Mary, Christ Child and  Saint John the Baptist. Story tells that Saint Hugo tended to send them food, and one year, on the Sunday right before Lent, he sent them meat. The monks only ate vegetables and eggs, since one of the essential points of their order is fasting. This last supply of food got them into a debate about whether eating it or not, and since no agreement was reached, they fell asleep during it; 45 days later, Hugo sent his page to notify them about a soon visit, and the guy found them all asleep. When the bishop arrived, they all woke up and Saint Bruno told him about the argument they had had. San Hugo afterwards finds out that the meat had turned into ashes. The painting represents this beautiful moment.

Every face is individualized one by one, with their eyes half-closed, like they were already overcoming the shock. We have to highlight the awesome touches of white and gray on the habits and on the tablecloth. On the table, we can find some fantastic still lifes, where every object is places symmetrically and not randomly. At the right, there is a door breaking this symmetry, and which opens the limits of the painting to the outside.

I could keep reeling off more and more facts about the paintings I admired in Seville, but I wouldn’t be able to stop. In any case, if you ever visit Seville, this museum is a must see.

Museo de Bellas Artes de Sevilla's web

Sources: Guía oficial Museo de Bellas Artes de Sevilla;

Triadó Tur, J.R., Murillo, Ed. Susaeta, s.f.;

Alcolea, S., Zurbarán, Polígrafa, 2008.

Museum's photos: Cristina del Rosso