Francisco López (17th-century painter) facts for kids
Francisco López (born in 1554 in a town called Colmenar de Oreja near Madrid, and who passed away in 1629) was a very skilled Spanish artist. He was known for both his paintings and his engravings. Engravings are a special type of art where an artist carves a design into a surface, like a metal plate, to then print pictures from it.
Early Life and Training
Francisco López learned his art from a famous painter named Bartolommeo Carducci. Bartolommeo was a well-known artist of his time. In 1595, young Francisco helped his teacher paint for a church in Madrid called San Felipe el Real. Sadly, this church and its paintings were later destroyed by a fire in 1718.
Painting for the King
Francisco López became a very important artist. He was even chosen to be the official painter for King Philip III of Spain. This meant he worked directly for the King! In 1603, he created a series of paintings for the King's dressing-room at the Pardo Palace. These paintings showed the great victories of Charles V, who was a very powerful ruler before King Philip III.
Other Artworks
Besides his work for the King, Francisco López also created other beautiful pieces. He made engravings for a book called Dialogues on Painting, written by another artist named Vincenzo Carducci. Francisco etched the designs for three of the plates in this book. One of his most famous paintings is Saint John the Baptist. This painting is quite large, measuring about 107 by 86 centimeters, and you can see it today at the Real Academia de Bellas Artes de San Fernando museum in Madrid.
See also
In Spanish: Francisco López (pintor) para niños
