Description of the painting “Boy with a Dog” by B. Murillo

Hermitage - Murillo, Bartolome Esteban - Boy with a dog

Description of the painting by Bartolome Esteban Murillo “Boy with a Dog”

In the 17th century in Spain, works by the master Bartolome Eteban Murillo were common. He was even invited as the chief artist to the Seville monastery.

In Bartolomeo Murillo’s paintings one could observe not only religious themes, but also scenes of people’s everyday lives, but most of all he was pleased to depict children in his canvases. These paintings usually showed two or more children going about their daily activities. The most famous painting is “Boy with a Dog”.

The master did not try to embellish his characters in any way. On this canvas the boy is depicted in his usual clothes, which were typical for peasants. In appearance, he does not seem rich. The boy has a thin face, which shows that he is not eating well. However, this fact does not affect his mood in any way. He is not sad, but rejoices. Or the boy’s life is not going smoothly, but the dog allows him to have fun.

In the boy's hand there is a large basket with clay pots. Obviously, he was going about his business, but the dog attracted his attention.

The dog is an ordinary mongrel who accidentally ended up in a room with a boy. Thanks to the blurred background behind, it is completely unclear where exactly the boy and the dog are, but it could be a warehouse. Also, the characters in the picture can be on the street.

To depict the boy, the artist used techniques typical of his works. Using paints, he painted small redness around his eyes. Perhaps this is a sign of the boy’s fatigue or illness. However, this does not in any way affect the character's attractive appearance. The main emphasis with the help of paints is on his clothes, because of which it is even impossible to immediately notice the dog next to the boy.

Bartolomeo Esteban Murillo "Boy with a Dog" (between 1655-1660)
Canvas, oil. 70 x 60 cm.
Hermitage, St. Petersburg, Russia

Bartolome Murillo, a prominent master of the Spanish school of the 17th century, enjoyed great success among his contemporaries and was even proclaimed by the Chapter of the Seville Cathedral as the best painter of the city. The artist painted religious and small everyday scenes, but especially loved to depict children. Sometimes he painted them in groups or twos, and sometimes alone, as in the painting “Boy with a Dog.”

The artist does not idealize his characters; for all the charm of the boy, his cheerful face is common, and his costume is simple and poor. The child has pronounced national traits, manifested in poses, movements, and gestures. The look of his rogue eyes, facial expression and habits breathe life. Murillo also showed himself to be an excellent colorist: the combination of the blue sky and the soft yellow tone of the boy’s vest, the dark deep color of the jacket and cold, slightly pearlescent skin tones create an exquisite color scheme. Unlike the works of many of his colleagues, the painter’s works were highly valued. I especially liked his genre scenes, which are now kept in many museums around the world.

It is interesting that the one who is called the most outstanding painter of Spain of the 17th century - Bartolome Esteban Murillo - was the fourteenth child in the family and perpetuated his mother’s surname. He was taught to draw by Juan de Castillo himself, who admired the works of artists from Italy. He taught Bartholomew to depict architectural and sculptural monuments that seemed frozen in time. However, Murillo was one of those who appreciate life in all its manifestations.

He painted fascinating and even legendary scenes of church themes and family life, becoming the most “hit” artist in Seville. Both the poor and the rich demanded his paintings, paying exorbitant sums for paintings by Murillo. Moreover, he did not take money from the poor, but looked for new images in their faces - the artist was rich. He made thousands from each masterpiece, investing them in New World businesses and slaves. Later, for career reasons, the artist joined the Franciscan Order and moved to a luxurious mansion. At that time, Murillo wanted to establish an art academy in Seville, but the idea failed.

Despite this, the artist had no shortage of people wanting to decorate themselves with the next “Fragile Conception” or the Madonna of churches and temples, who appreciated the realism of his works. They were distinguished not only by their clear forms, but also by their amazing spiritual strength, emotional faces and fullness of life energy.

Murillo was already known at that time as a lyrical artist who painted elegant, contemplative images and emphasized the intimacy of the mood. They painted ordinary people with amazing warmth of feelings, partly idealizing them. Spanish religiosity did not prevent the artist from creating portraits of beggar women, merchants and, of course, children, whose prototypes he found on the streets. Simple scenes of everyday life are what Murillo is primarily known for.

One example of such creativity is the painting “Boy with a Dog,” which depicts a poor man’s child. A simple dark jacket, a yellow vest and a white shirt are the traditional outfit of commoners. The boy holds a basket of pottery in his hands, and in his eyes there is such happiness that only children have. He smiles openly and exudes so much positive energy that you will involuntarily smile yourself. The dog to whom the hero of the picture offers a treat is touching - she is also filled with joy from meeting her owner and looks at him devotedly. This animal is not a thoroughbred, but an ordinary one, which ran in hundreds along the streets of Seville, but that is why it attracts spectators.

Despite the boy's roguish eyes, he finds time for the dog, his friend. He is full of life, movement and happiness, and Murillo showed amazing color balance in this picture. The blue color of the sky and the boy's yellow vest are very harmoniously combined with the deep brown color of the jacket, emphasized by the mother-of-pearl of the skin. The artist himself admires the boy, and although the colors used are several muted tones, they create the impression of warmth of feelings and love for children.

Take a closer look at how the blue color of the sky in the picture turns into gray and merges with the horizon line, how stunningly inexpressive the wall with a faded green tree is. The clarity of the image of the sleeves of the jacket, the hair of the dog and the structure of the basket is amazing. This painting is one of those rare moments when a moment is valued more than eternity, when emotions speak louder than any words. The boy looks at the mongrel half a turn, as if persuading him with his gaze to wait for a treat. The dog knows that a friend will never let you down and expects a gift. This non-verbal communication, selfless friendship is captivating. The child reaches out his hand to the animal, as if wanting to stroke it, and the dog is only happy about this - she has obviously been waiting for her owner for a long time. Her body stretches out and it seems that she is about to bury her nose in the hand of her human friend. The artist, who probably became an accidental witness to such an everyday scene, is so inspired by this open friendship that he does not pay attention to the details, but, on the contrary, pays attention to the figure of the boy and his four-legged friend. And the details are not important when you look into the open, friendly and clean face of a child. Such laconicism of the composition is Murillo’s most characteristic feature.

Looking at the portrait of an unfamiliar child, you enjoy a happy childhood that does not yet know social classes and poverty. Boys play with animals - their best friends, which bring them into the world of bright feelings and harmony with nature.

“Boy with a Dog” is exactly that rare painting by Murillo from his late period of creativity, in which pathos and sweetness are absent, and immediacy is affirmed.

It is noteworthy that modern art historians put forward the theory that “The Boy in the Window,” which now “lives” in the National Gallery in London, was painted from the same child. Moreover, this image is considered not so much to continue the cycle of depicting people, but rather as an object for experiments with color and chiaroscuro.

Murillo is the most mysterious Spaniard of the 17th century, because one can only speculate and develop theories about his life. Probably because he did not date his works, which were either admired or not recognized. His work is timeless paintings, they live in their own special space, where only a person with a sincere soul can enter. Murillo's paintings can be fully appreciated only in the context of the culture of Spain at that time and its historical development. Yes, this man was a religious believer, but all his angels and madonnas were beautiful. Yes, this artist evolved as a master of the brush, and not as the author of a specific series of works - he created at the turning point of the religious Middle Ages and the refined Renaissance. After all, Spain is known as the country that was the last to emerge from the Inquisition and the omnipotence of the church, which is confirmed by all of Murillo’s work. His paintings are what any Spaniard wanted: open children's faces, beautiful Madonnas and heavenly angels. They become a sign of everything good and beautiful that exists in the world for modern man.

The famous painting “Boy with a Dog” by the Spanish master Bartolome Esteban Murillo is one of the pearls of the State Hermitage painting collection. This painting was acquired by Catherine II during the first formation of the painting collection for the Hermitage Museum.

Collection of the Duke of Choiseul and Catherine II

11 paintings from the dowry of the bride of the French minister Duke of Hayen François de Choiseul were sold to Russia to form the Hermitage collection by Catherine II. Duke Etienne François de Choiseul was the minister of the French king Louis XV, son of Louis XIV “the sun king”.

The agents who managed to convince the owners to give up the collection were the famous philosopher Denis Diderot, his friend and partner Friedrich Melchior Grimm, the Geneva collector Francois Tronchin and the brilliant Russian diplomat Dmitry Alekseevich Golitsyn. The latter acquired Choiseul's painting collection at auction.

Among the 11 works he selected were pairs “Boy with a Dog” and “Girl – Fruit Seller” Murillo. Of excellent quality, these works are unique due to their pairing. True, in 1930, “The Fruit Seller Girl” was transferred to the Pushkin State Museum of Fine Arts in Moscow and they are no longer together.

Bartolome Esteban Murillo

The artist was the fourteenth child in the family and perpetuated his mother’s surname. He became an orphan early: when he was 10 years old, his father died, and a year later his mother died., after which the boy was raised by the family of his mother’s sister. From his youth he successfully studied painting. In Madrid, his fellow countryman, the great Velazquez, gave him the opportunity to study and copy the works of Titian, Van Dyck, and Rubens in the royal palaces, which became for him a great school of mastery.

With the advent of large orders, the artist had a family. At 27 years old he married Dona Beatriz Sotomayor y Cabrera, who bore him five children. Throughout his life, Murillo enjoyed universal love and respect.

Both the poor and the rich demanded his paintings, paying exorbitant sums for paintings by Murillo. Moreover, he did not take money from the poor, but looked for new images in their faces - the artist was rich.

He made thousands from each masterpiece, investing them in New World businesses and slaves. Later, for career reasons, the artist joined the Franciscan Order and moved to a luxurious mansion. His house in Seville remains intact.

At that time, Murillo wanted to establish an art academy in Seville, but the idea unfortunately failed.

In 1682 Murillo, 65, who, as a rule, did not leave his native Seville, came to the southern Spanish city of Cadiz in order to perform a large altar painting for the Capuchin monastery: “The Teaching of Saint Catherine.” Working on her, he accidentally fell from the scaffolding and received serious injuries, as a result of which he had to immediately go back to Seville. Soon the artist died.

His art, lyrical and soulful, but sometimes somewhat sweet and sentimental, enjoyed extraordinary success during the artist’s lifetime. In subsequent centuries, his fame only grew.

On the 200th anniversary of the artist’s death, the Murillo House Museum was opened in Seville. The interiors of the artist's living room, kitchen, and bedroom are perfectly preserved. Here you can see a lot of silverware, dishes, and household items. His Seville address: “Museo Casa de Murillo” – Santa Teresa, 8 (Barrio de Santa Cruz)

Painting “Boy with a dog”

Artist: Bartolome Esteban Murillo (1618-1682)

Name:“Boy with a dog”

Time of creation: 1650s

Dimensions: 77.5 x 61.5 cm

Place of permanent exhibition: State Hermitage Museum. New Hermitage building, Hall No. 239

Committed to a democratic theme, Murillo especially loved to paint children from the common people, future “majos”, true Spaniards, who bore their name and their simple title with dignity and pride. Therefore, despite the sentimentality of the theme, the best children's images of Murillo are devoid of affectation and sweetness.

The artist does not idealize his characters; for all the charm of the boy, his cheerful face is common, and his costume is simple and poor. The boy’s face in the Hermitage painting is full of human kindness and a lively mind; in his “conversation” with the dog, the mental makeup of the future adult man is revealed, courageous and cheerful, understanding the language of animals like a peasant. The color scheme, built on a combination of cool yellow, black and gray tones, is particularly sophisticated.

The painting “Boy with a Dog” depicts a beggar boy. The fact that the boy is poor is evidenced by his shabby and sometimes holey clothes. He holds a basket in his hands. The boy has a bright and kind face, beaming with joy, because he is happy to see his dog and wants to feed it. The dog faithfully looks into the eyes of its little owner.
The artist managed to convey in the picture the warm and tender relationship between a child and his pet. It is clear that they are devoted to each other. Looking at the picture you understand that you don’t need much to be happy.

Residents of Russia do not need to travel far to Seville or Madrid to get acquainted with Murillo’s work. The Hermitage has a large collection of works by the master. Despite the fact that the author’s paintings are also in other Russian museums, the main collection is still located in the vast Hermitage.

Canvas, oil.
Size: 70 x 60 cm

Description of the painting “Boy with a Dog” by B. Murillo

Artist: Bartolome Esteban Murillo
Title of the painting: “Boy with a Dog”
The painting was painted: 1655-1660.
Canvas, oil.
Size: 70 x 60 cm

It is interesting that the one who is called the most outstanding painter of Spain of the 17th century - Bartolome Esteban Murillo - was the fourteenth child in the family and perpetuated his mother’s surname. He was taught to draw by Juan de Castillo himself, who admired the works of artists from Italy. He taught Bartholomew to depict architectural and sculptural monuments that seemed frozen in time. However, Murillo was one of those who appreciate life in all its manifestations.

He painted fascinating and even legendary scenes of church themes and family life, becoming the most “hit” artist in Seville. Both the poor and the rich demanded his paintings, paying exorbitant sums for paintings by Murillo. Moreover, he did not take money from the poor, but looked for new images in their faces - the artist was rich.

He made thousands from each masterpiece, investing them in New World businesses and slaves. Later, for career reasons, the artist joined the Franciscan Order and moved to a luxurious mansion. At that time, Murillo wanted to establish an art academy in Seville, but the idea failed.

Despite this, the artist had no shortage of people wanting to decorate themselves with the next “Fragile Conception” or the Madonna of churches and temples, who appreciated the realism of his works. They were distinguished not only by their clear forms, but also by their amazing spiritual strength, emotional faces and fullness of life energy.

Murillo was already known at that time as a lyrical artist who painted elegant, contemplative images and emphasized the intimacy of the mood. They painted ordinary people with amazing warmth of feelings, partly idealizing them.

Spanish religiosity did not prevent the artist from creating portraits of beggar women, merchants and, of course, children, whose prototypes he found on the streets. Simple scenes of everyday life are what Murillo is primarily known for.

One example of such creativity is the painting “Boy with a Dog,” which depicts a poor man’s child. A simple dark jacket, a yellow vest and a white shirt are the traditional outfit of commoners. The boy holds a basket of pottery in his hands, and in his eyes there is such happiness that only children have. He smiles openly and exudes so much positive energy that you will involuntarily smile yourself. The dog to whom the hero of the picture offers a treat is touching - she is also filled with joy from meeting her owner and looks at him devotedly. This animal is not a thoroughbred, but an ordinary one, which ran in hundreds along the streets of Seville, but that is why it attracts spectators.

Despite the boy's roguish eyes, he finds time for the dog, his friend. He is full of life, movement and happiness, and Murillo showed amazing color balance in this picture. The blue color of the sky and the boy's yellow vest are very harmoniously combined with the deep brown color of the jacket, emphasized by the mother-of-pearl of the skin. The artist himself admires the boy, and although the colors used are several muted tones, they create the impression of warmth of feelings and love for children.

Take a closer look at how the blue color of the sky in the picture turns into gray and merges with the horizon line, how stunningly inexpressive the wall with a faded green tree is. The clarity of the image of the sleeves of the jacket, the hair of the dog and the structure of the basket is amazing.

This painting is one of those rare moments when a moment is valued more than eternity, when emotions speak louder than any words. The boy looks at the mongrel half a turn, as if persuading him with his gaze to wait for a treat. The dog knows that a friend will never let you down and expects a gift. This non-verbal communication, selfless friendship is captivating.

The child reaches out his hand to the animal, as if wanting to stroke it, and the dog is only happy about this - she has obviously been waiting for her owner for a long time. Her body stretches out and it seems that she is about to bury her nose in the hand of her human friend. The artist, who probably became an accidental witness to such an everyday scene, is so inspired by this open friendship that he does not pay attention to the details, but, on the contrary, pays attention to the figure of the boy and his four-legged friend. And the details are not important when you look into the open, friendly and clean face of a child. Such laconicism of the composition is Murillo’s most characteristic feature.

Looking at the portrait of an unfamiliar child, you enjoy a happy childhood that does not yet know social classes and poverty. Boys play with animals - their best friends, which bring them into the world of bright feelings and harmony with nature.

“Boy with a Dog” is exactly that rare painting by Murillo from his late period of creativity, in which pathos and sweetness are absent, and immediacy is affirmed.

It is noteworthy that modern art historians put forward the theory that “The Boy in the Window,” which now “lives” in the National Gallery in London, was painted from the same child. Moreover, this image is considered not so much to continue the cycle of depicting people, but rather as an object for experiments with color and chiaroscuro.

Murillo is the most mysterious Spaniard of the 17th century, because one can only speculate and develop theories about his life. Probably because he did not date his works, which were either admired or not recognized. His work is timeless paintings, they live in their own special space, where only a person with a sincere soul can enter.

Murillo's paintings can be fully appreciated only in the context of the culture of Spain at that time and its historical development. Yes, this man was a religious believer, but all his angels and madonnas were beautiful. Yes, this artist evolved as a master of the brush, and not as the author of a specific series of works - he created at the turning point of the religious Middle Ages and the refined Renaissance. After all, Spain is known as the country that was the last to emerge from the Inquisition and the omnipotence of the church, which is confirmed by all of Murillo’s work. His paintings are what any Spaniard wanted: open children's faces, beautiful Madonnas and heavenly angels. They become a sign of everything good and beautiful that exists in the world for modern man.

Lesson notes on Russian language in 2nd grade

Lesson type: A lesson in learning new material.Type of speech disorder: mixed dysgraphia

Subject: An essay based on the painting by B.-E. Murillo "Boy with a Dog"

Target: Development of thinking.

Tasks:

Educational: learn to express your impressions and ideas in words, develop the ability to construct a text in a certain compositional form;

Developmental: improve spelling skills, develop children's creative imagination;

Educating: cultivate aesthetic perception of works of art, develop a sense of beauty;

Corrective: develop the ability to select speech means and figuratively perceive objects in the picture.

Method: inductive, partially exploratory.

Equipment: reproduction of Murillo’s painting “Boy with a Dog”, self-portrait, historical portrait, family, equestrian.

Performed by teacher-speech therapist Vasilyeva T.A.

Lesson steps

During the classes

Guidelines

1. Organizational moment

Greeting, checking readiness for the lesson, defining the goals and objectives of the lesson.

Communicate the topic and objectives of the lesson.

Creating a positive atmosphere.

Students check their readiness for the lesson.

Formal readiness for upcoming activities, attracting voluntary attention.

2. Preparation for the perception of the picture

1. The teacher gives information about the artist.

Hot, sunny Spain has given the world many outstanding artists. Among them, one of the most famous is Esteban Bartolome Murillo. The family into which Esteban Bartolome was born lived in a rented monastery house. The child became an orphan early, first his father died, and then his mother, after which the boy was raised by the family of his older sister, the surgeon’s wife. The family was quite wealthy, and he was apprenticed to one of his distant relatives - an artist. The desire to improve led him to Madrid, where his fellow countryman, Velazquez, gave him the opportunity to study and copy in the royal palaces the works of Titian, Rubens, van Dyck and Ribera and himself, with his free, masterful technique, had a strong influence on his development.

2. Introduction to the genre.

Today we will get acquainted with the portrait genre. Portrait is an image of a person or group of people (painting, graphics, engraving, sculpture, photography, printing). Portraits come in different types: these are self-portraits, in which artists depict themselves; there are also equestrian portraits, historical, family, and also children’s portraits. Who do you think is depicted on them? (family, children). (Demonstration of samples of various types of portraits).

3. Introduction to basic art historical concepts:

Composition;

Color (color);

Light and shadow;

Foreground, middle, background;

Perspective;

Canvas.

4.Now listen to an excerpt from I. Severyanin’s poem “Friend”

A friend is someone who understands you.

A friend is someone who suffers with you.

A friend will never leave you

A friend stays with you forever.

Guys, do you think a dog can be a friend? (children's answers)

Students' awareness of the main purpose of the lesson.

Introduction to the topic.

3. Presentation of the painting

Teacher:
And now you will see a portrait of the Spanish artist Bartolome Esteban Murillo, called “Boy with a Dog.”

(A sufficient amount of time is allocated to perceive the picture.)

Children look at the picture.

4. Conversation about the painting

The conversation is based on the principle “from the impression of the picture to the analysis of what is depicted.”

- What impression does the picture make?

- What feelings does it evoke?

Description of the boy

-Who do you see in the center of the picture? (boy and dog);

- Why did the artist depict the boy in the center, in the foreground of the picture? (The artist wants us to immediately pay attention to him, he is the main character in this picture);

- Describe the boy’s pose (He looks at the dog and extends his hand forward, as if inviting it with him);

- What is the boy’s mood? (joyful, cheerful, playful, good-natured, sunny)

- What do you think is the reason for the boy’s joy? (he found himself a friend, he wants this puppy to be his);

- What words can describe the boy’s gaze, the way he looks at the dog? (friendly, playful, sincere, cheerful);

- Do you think the boy belongs to a rich or poor family? How did the artist show this? (the shirt is old, written in dim colors, there is an empty basket and jug in his hands);

- How does the artist feel about his hero? (he loves the boy because his face is shown sincere, smiling. He is a warm-hearted and kind boy).

Description of the dog

- What can you say about the dog? What is she like?

- Describe the dog’s pose (she looks at the boy carefully, tries to understand what he is telling her, she really wants the boy to take her with him).

- Express your attitude to the picture, to the boy.

Children learn to analyze a work of art.

5. Vocabulary and stylistic work.

- Choose synonyms for the words: artist (painter, landscape painter, master of the brush), creates (writes), picture (canvas, reproduction).

- The names of what colors and shades can be used in the description? (blue sky, soft yellow tone of the boy’s vest, dark deep color of the jacket and cold, slightly pearlescent skin tones).

- Pay attention to the spelling of words: here, on the right, on the left, next.

The teacher helps the children choose synonyms and construct some phrases.

Some words can be written on the board.

Words that the child does not understand should be explained to the teacher or suggested that they consult a dictionary.

6. Drawing up an essay plan.

- To make a story based on the picture, we will draw up a plan for the essay.

- How to start an essay based on a picture? (Tell where you saw the picture, about the author).

- What will we talk about in the main part? (Let's describe the hero, the dog, the colors).

- How to finish the story? What to say in the final part? (About the mood, the feelings it evokes).

Sample essay plan:

1. Artist Bartolome Esteban Murillo.

2. Portrait of a boy with a dog (mood, appearance, character).

3. Impression of the picture.

The teacher leads the children to the content of the plan and introduces them to the finished plan for writing an essay.

7. The actual writing of the essay