EncyclopediaHerrera, Francisco de
Herrera, Francisco de (frän&thstrok;ēs'kō &thstrok;ā ārā'rä) [key], c.1576–1656, Spanish painter, engraver, miniaturist, and draftsman. He worked in Seville most of his life, executing religious and genre subjects. His style is broad and dynamic, with powerful accents of light and dark and expressive distortions. Herrera's most famous works are the Triumph of St. Hermengild (Seville) and St. Basil Dictating His Rule (c.1639; Louvre). From 1640 until his death he worked in Madrid. His son, Francisco de Herrera,. the younger, 1622–85, studied still-life painting in Naples. Returning to Seville in 1656, he executed religious works. His masterpieces, the Triumph of St. Hermengild (Prado) and the Triumph of St. Francis (Seville Cathedral), both of the 1660s, show his loose and sketchy technique and bright, warm colors. In 1677 he became Charles II's court painter and master of royal works, designing architectural plans, including one, never executed, for the cathedral at Zaragoza.
The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th ed. Copyright © 2007, Columbia University Press. All rights reserved.
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