born May 4, 1622, Sevilla, Spain
died Oct. 15, 1690, Sevilla
Spanish painter.
Son of a Portuguese father, he was educated in Córdoba and worked there and in Sevilla. After the death of Bartolomé Esteban Murillo , he was Sevilla's leading painter. His early works are marked by exotic colours, dramatic lighting, and vigorous brushstrokes. Later paintings such as Vanitas (1660) and Triumph of Death (1672) are characterized by their macabre subject matter, dynamic energy, and theatrical violence.