" Murillo's 'Immaculate Conception' "
oil on linen panel . 20 x 13 . 2008
copyright © kay eneim 2008
Bartolome Esteban Murillo (1618-1682)
was the youngest of fourteen children.
To make a living as a young man,
he painted 'sargas', cheap paintings
on rough canvas sold at country fairs
and shipped to America by traders.
This is how he gained a reputation in Spain
for the later commissions he was given.
Murillo's images of Our Lady are some of my favorites.
This painting I began in 2005.
I would put it aside from time to time
and finally completed it last year.
It was painted with the aid of the silent teacher,
Murillo, one of the masters of old.
Ave Cor Mariae!
