Francisco de Zurbarán

Spanish Golden Age master Francisco de Zurbaran (1598-1664) earned the title "painter of monks" through austere, powerful religious works. Born in Fuente de Cantos, Extremadura, he left for Seville in 1614 to train with Pedro Diaz de Villanueva. There he formed a lifelong friendship with fellow student Diego Velazquez. His breakthrough came in 1626 with paintings for the Dominican convent of San Pablo el Real, and by 1628 the city elders invited him to relocate permanently to Seville.

Zurbaran's style combined dramatic chiaroscuro derived from Caravaggio with almost sculptural solidity. His monks and saints appear as three-dimensional presences, their white robes rendered with breathtaking virtuosity. He worked for ten different monastic orders, including Dominicans, Franciscans, and Carthusians. Saint Francis of Assisi was a favorite subject: nearly 50 paintings of the friar by Zurbaran or his workshop survive. King Philip IV summoned him to Madrid in 1634 to paint the Labours of Hercules and battle scenes for the Buen Retiro palace, reportedly calling him "painter to the king, king of painters." His still lifes, often depicting simple objects on dark backgrounds, anticipate modern painting's contemplative approach. After 1640, the softer style of Murillo displaced his austere vision, and Zurbaran died in Madrid in poverty. His bold forms influenced Manet and Picasso. Major works hang at the Prado, the Louvre, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art.