Murillo

Murillo most commonly refers to Bartolomé Esteban Murillo (1617–1682), a Spanish Baroque painter from Seville. He produced an extensive body of religious paintings, Marian iconography, and genre scenes featuring children and the poor. Murillo is regarded as one of the leading figures of the Spanish Golden Age of painting. His devotional canvases and altarpieces were installed in churches, convents, and hospitals in Seville and throughout Spain, and his work was widely collected by European patrons during his lifetime and after.

Murillo's style is characterized by warm, luminous color, soft light, and tender, expressive figures. He often treated sacred subjects with approachable humanity, blending piety with naturalism. His religious works—many depicting the Virgin and Child—emphasize tenderness, consolation, and accessible devotion. He also painted secular scenes of everyday life, which helped popularize genre painting in Spain.

Born and active chiefly in Seville, Murillo trained under Juan del Castillo and was influenced by Zurbarán and other Sevillian painters. His mature work consolidated a humane approach to sacred imagery and contributed to the transmission of Spanish Catholic iconography across Europe.

Murillo is also a Spanish surname and toponym; the name appears in various regions and is borne by multiple individuals and places. In art history, the name Murillo evokes a legacy of accessible sacred imagery and affectionate genre scenes.