Focus on this artwork and explain the Description.
Murillo painted around two dozen versions of the Immaculate Conception, possibly the most of any Spanish painter at that time. In the majority, the Virgin Mary appears dressed in a white robe with a blue mantle, her hands crossed over her chest, with a crescent moon at her feet, and eyes upraised towards Heaven. Her contrapposto stance, with her right knee bent and her weight shifted to her left leg, adds to the undulating rhythm of the composition. A delicate sliver of a crescent moon is set at an angle for visual interest, and it encircles her foot, which is concealed for the sake of decorum beneath the pooling layers of white fabric.3 The Immaculate Conception of Los Venerables stands out from Murillo's others due to its triumphant tone. This effect is achieved through Murillo's use of light which creates a sense of movement from the bottom right to the top left of the painting. This upward movement, and the symbolism associated with the clouds and angels surrounding the principal figure, create a visual reference to the Assumption, connecting Mary's purity with her status as Christ's mother. In this composition, Murillo did not include several traditional elements of the Virgin's iconography—such as the Tower of David, the sealed fountain, or palm and cypress trees—possibly because these symbols were already featured in the painting's original frame in the Los Venerables Hospital, as described by Fernando de la Torre Farfán in the 18th century.
crescent moon crescent Los Venerables use of light Fernando de la Torre Farfán The Immaculate Conception of Los Venerables Immaculate Conception Heaven Spanish Tower of David Virgin's iconography sealed fountain Virgin Mary Assumption