1680
unspecified
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art
The Immaculate Conception is a 1680 unspecified by Bartolomé Esteban Murillo, a Baroque work, held at Cleveland Museum of Art.
The painting shows the Virgin Mary surrounded by angels and light. It's a delicate scene with soft colors. The artist had to create imagery for this abstract subject, which was a challenge. The doctrine of the Immaculate Conception was very important in Spain at that time. Artists had to find ways to depict this idea in their work, using symbols like the crescent moon. You can learn more about this style by looking at the work of artist: Bartolomé Esteban Murillo (Spanish, 1617–1682)
The doctrine of the Immaculate Conception maintains that the Virgin Mary was conceived free from sin, therefore ready to be the pure vessel for Christ’s birth. The Immaculate Conception enjoyed intense devotion in Spain during the 1600s, although it was only accepted as official doctrine in 1854. The abstract subject required artists to develop appropriate imagery. The crescent moon, for example, comes from the New Testament vision of Saint John the Evangelist (Revelation 12:1) of “a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet.”
Read the full account in the museum source.
Bartolomé Esteban Murillo ( mure-IL-oh, m(y)uu-REE-oh, Spanish: ; late December 1617, baptised 1 January 1618 – 3 April 1682) was a Spanish Baroque painter.
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