The Infant St. John the Baptist 1618 - 1682

Bartolomé Estebán Murillo’s drawing portrays the infant Saint John the Baptist with pen and brown wash on laid paper. Look closely at the network of fine lines, built up to create the shadowy forms. See the rough texture of the paper itself coming through. Murillo was born in Seville, Spain, where the painting industry was booming, creating huge demand for sketches like this one. Drawings were not typically considered artworks in their own right, but rather functional objects, used to develop ideas for larger paintings or prints. The drawing’s material qualities speak to a culture of production, in which speed and efficiency were essential. While a painting might take months to complete, a drawing could be executed in a matter of hours, allowing Murillo to quickly explore different compositions and details. Next time you look at a drawing, remember it as a hardworking object, embodying artistic skill, and economic realities.