Luis de Vargas (b. 1502, d. 1568) was one of the first conspicuous Spanish painters. A thorough devotee, lie helped to foster that ascetic tendency, and that entire subserviency to ecclesiastical canons, which formed so marked a feature in early Spanish painting. The works of Luis de Morales of Badajoz (b. about 1510, d. 1586) show some traces of early Flemish minuteness and hardnese, with great power of ex pression, occasionally exaggerated : from the devotional character of his pictures, which are chiefly of the Saviour crowned with Thorns, or the Madonna Weeping, Morales has acquired from his countrymen the surname of "the Divine." Fernando Gallegos imitated Albert Diirer. Antonio del Rincon (b. 1446, d. 1500), Alonso Berruguete (b. 1480, d. 1502), Pedro Campafia, a Fleming by birth (b. 1503, d. 1580), Gaspar llecerra (b. 1520, ci 1570), Pablo de Cuspedee (b. 1538, d. 160S), and Vinecnte Joanna of Valencia (b. 1523, 0. 1579), who is re garded as the head of the school of Valencia, were the earlier Spanish masters of einiumice who studied in Italy; the ablest, and certainly the most influential, being Bemiguete, and next to hint (Jasper Becerra.
The works of Ifiucon are rare : there is an altar-piece of his at Robledo de Chavela, not far from the EticuriaL Campaila'd Deasent from the Cross, and the celebrated Gambia of Vargas are in the cathe dral of Seville. The series of the Martyrdom of St. Stephen, by Joanes, Is in the museum of Madrid. Alonso Sanchez Coelho (d. 1590) and Juan Feniandez Navarrete el Mudo (b. 1526, d. 1579) painted re spectively portraits and sacred subjects for Philip II. The colouring of Nay/irate in very fine, and resembles that of the Venetian school.
In the school of Seville, in the 17th century, the principal fore. runners of Murillo were .Inan Sanchez de Castro; Juan de has Roelas (b. 1558, d. 1625), who studied in Italy, amid whose finest picture is perhaps the Death of St. Isidore, in the church of that saint at Seville; the two Herrerae, and Fiancisco Zurbaran (b. 1593, d. 1662). l'ho elder Herrera (b. 1576, d. 1656) is distinguished by vigour and boldness of execution. %urbanites great work of St. Thomas of Aquino, formerly in the Colegio de Santo Tenets, will bear comparison with the beet pictures of any master. Benoit:end Esteban Murillo b. 1618, d. 1632) has left early pictures at Seville which give little vomide of his aubecepient excellence. It was unly after his return from Madrid in 1645 that he attained that freedom and power which characterise his best works. The name of :Murillo is supposed by many in this country to stand highest in the Spanish school, but Diego Velasquez de Silva (b. 1599, d. 1660) was perhaps the greater man, though Murillo painted loftier as well as bumbler subjects. The por traits of Velasquez are only equalled by those of Titian : his historical works in the Madrid Gallery, such as the Surrender of Breda, and his sketches of landscape in the Fame collection, are of great excellence. One of his most celebrated early pictures is the Water-carrier, now at Apsley House. His style, however, often runs into excess, bordering in its sternness on the violent contrasts of Caravaggio, Lut always avoiding his vulgarity.
Francesco Pacheco (b. 1571, d. 1654) was the founder of the school of Seville. His scholar, Alonso Cano of Granada (b. 1600, d. 1667) painted with simplicity and beauty, as well as vigour. Francisco Itibalta (b. 1551, (I. 1628) is generally held to be the best master of the Valencian school. The altar-piece in the chapel of :Magdalen College, Oxford, is probably by him. Claudio Coello (d. 1693) is one of the last Spanish masters who deserve notice. His picture in the Sacristy of the Escurial is a brilliant work.
The Spanish school can boast of several painters who may rank with the best of any other country. But Spanish painting was always limited in its scope, and was early exhausted. From the first it was eminently religious, and ascetic in its religion. It has been said that a nude figure does not probably occur in Spanish painting : and the most stringent rules were laid down by the ecclesiastical authorities for the treatment of the sacred and saintly personages introduced by artists on their canvases. The favourite subjects were connected with the mysteries of religion, the legends of the saints, and especially religious ecstaciea.
Though Murillo painted peasant boys with infinite relish, his greatest works are such as the Immaculate Conception,' or the Assumption.' (Cean Bermudez, I)iecionario Historic° r Stirling's ' Annals of the Artists of Spain ;' Kugler's' Hand-book : Spanish Schools,' ed. by Sir E. Head).
French School.—Fraoce, in the reign of Charlemagne and sub sequently, had its miniature painters, and, as we see by the sculpture on its Gothic churches, always possessed a decided feeling for art. But the French can scarcely be said to have had a school of painting of their own until a comparatively late (Late. In the 16th century, Jean Cousin and the family of the Clovets were painters, who owed little to foreign teaching, but with these exceptions, the older French painters either studied and practised in Italy, or were mere imitators of Italian painters ; while many Italians were either temporary or permanent residents in France. Among these were Lionardo da Vinci, Andrea del Santo, Rosso, and Primaticcio, whom the zeal of Francis I. intro duced into France. We find little independent existence of French painting before Simon Vouet (b. 1582, d. 1841), who studied the later Venetian painters, and Caravaggio : he was regarded as one of the first painters of his time, and was the master and model of the succeeding generation of French painters. His contemporary Nicolas I'oussio (b. 1594, d. 1665) stamped a character on the art of his country which may be said to have lasted almost to our own days. His style is based in some degree on a confusion of tho capabilities of sculpture and painting—statuesque forms, fine drawing, and the composition of a bas-relief clothed in unpleasing colour, though not wholly satisfactory to the eye, still combine to produce considerable effect ; an effect how ever of a limited kind, analogous to that resulting from the classical correctness of Racine's tragedies, and without any life or spontaneity, Gaspar Pouaain and Claude Lorraine, have been already named : they both learned their art in Rome and there practised it. The most famous of Voueee scholars were Eustache Le Sneer (b. 1617, (I. 1655), called the ' French Itafitelle,' a title sufficiently characteristic ; and Charles Le Brun (b. 1619, (I. 1690). The large pictures of Le Brun are very clever but disfigured by the affectation of the time of Louis XIV. Peter Mignard (b. 1610, d. 1695), another pupil in the same school, painted some good portraits. Antoine Watteau (b. 1684, d.1721) is celebrated for the piquant grace of his courtly garden scenes and fates galantes. A clever imitator of his style was Nicolas Lancret (b. 1690, d. 1740), whose pictures, though wanting the abandon, are not seldom taken for those of Watteau. Francois Lemoine (b. 1688, d. 1737) was an imitator of Pietro da Cortona. Joseph Vernet (to 1711, d. 1789) executed some very clever landscapes and sea-pieces, though for the most part disagreeable in colour. J. B. Greuze (b. 1726, d. 1805) excelled in the representation of scenes of domestic life, and In female portraiture ; his style verges on the meretricious, hut his pictures continue to increase in favour with the collectors, both of England and France. Under Coypel, Lemoine, Vien, Boucher, and Vanloo, Parisian art went on steadily deteriorating. It owes its resus citation to the general mental excitement produced by the stirring wants of the revolution; but the special form which it assumed was due chiefly to the energy and tact of Jacques Louis David (b. 1748, d. 1825); though his pictures are in a thoroughly mistaken style. He endeavoured to carry out on a larger scale the "classical" principles of Ponasin. It is impassible to deny hia picture; the merit of fine drawing and a certain power ; but disagreeable colour, exaggerated theatrical expression, and academic affectation mar the effect of their better qualities. Him most eminent followers were Gerard, Gros, Girodet, Droling, Pujol, Guerin, and Gericault. Guerin carried the system of his master to the verge of caricature, and thus hastened the inevitable reaction. Gerard was a painter of considerable power, but marred by conventionalism, and utter want of feeling for colour. Some of his portraits are eminently characteristic ; his huge transcripts of contemporary history are as eminently artificial.