Bartolomé Esteban Murillo honoured with Google doodle on 400th birth anniversary

Google honours Spanish painter Bartolomé Esteban Murillo on 400th birth anniversary with doodle. Murillo is believed to have painted over 400 works for convents, cathedrals and Flemish merchants.

Murillo was born towards the end on 1617 and baptised on January 1618. He learnt the art of painting from a distance relative Juan del Castillo who was also a Baroque painter. Some of his most famous works included the Soult Immaculate Conception and the Vision of Saint Anthony.

In 1640s, Murillo reportedly travelled to Madrid where he learned from a leading figure of Spanish Golden Age, Diego Velázquez. Velázquez was also a court painter for King Philip IV. Some of his early works were highly influenced by works of Francisco de Zurbarán, a contemporary painter.


Murillo studied the works of Flemish and Italian painters like Anthony van Dyck and Jusepe de Ribera in Madrid. Over a period of time, his work became smoother and brighter, which is believed to be due to influence of older contemporary Diego Velázquez. Murillo also became the most famous artist in golden-age Seville for his religious works mainly.


During the 18th and 19th century, Murillo became the most celebrated artist in Europe for pictures of street urchins.

The painter's parents passed away when he was 10-years-old and soon he became the ward of his sister's husband before he studied to become a painter under Juan del Castillo. He married Beatriz de Cabrera y Sotomayor in the 1640s. Murillo passed away on April 3, 1682, at the age of 64.

Today, his works are held at museums and collections throughout the world.