Francisco Herrera was a distinguished Spanish painter, born at Seville

Seville

Seville is the artistic, historic, cultural, and financial capital of southern Spain. It is the capital of the autonomous community of Andalusia and of the province of Seville. It is situated on the plain of the River Guadalquivir, with an average elevation of above sea level...

. He was the founder of the Seville school.

Herrera's finest paintings include "The Last Judgment" and a "Holy Family," both in churches at Seville. Others are in the Louvre

Louvre

The Musée du Louvre – in English, the Louvre Museum or simply the Louvre – is one of the world's largest museums, the most visited art museum in the world and a historic monument. A central landmark of Paris, it is located on the Right Bank of the Seine in the 1st arrondissement...

, Paris

Paris

Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...

. They exhibit boldness of execution with faultless technique. He is known as El viejo, "the elder," to distinguish him from his son, also a noted painter. Among his pupils was Ignacio de Iriarte

Ignacio de Iriarte

Ignacio de Iriarte was a Spanish painter. Iriarte was born in Azcoitia, Guipuzcoa. He received his early education at home, but in 1642 went to Seville, and entered the studio of Francisco Herrera the Elder...

 and a young Diego Velázquez

Diego Velázquez

Diego Rodríguez de Silva y Velázquez was a Spanish painter who was the leading artist in the court of King Philip IV. He was an individualistic artist of the contemporary Baroque period, important as a portrait artist...

.

External links

• Biographie of Francisco Herrera the Elder at the Web Gallery of Art