In 1656 Diego Velazquez painted Las Meninas for King Philip IV of Spain, at the height of the Baroque artistic period. Baroque was intense and dramatic, used sharp contrast in lighting, vivid color, and was also noted for realism. It reflected the post-Renaissance Catholic Church's intent to bring more people into faith by allowing them to reflect on art and its connection to spirituality. “Las Meninas allows the spectator to freely interact with the painting’s various contradictory points of view and therefore offers him a fuller understanding of the painting’s emotional and intellectual depth” (Konstantinidis) . Las Meninas was said to be the epitome of naturalistic art and also that Velazquez “anticipated Daguerre” (Manghani 94), meaning that the painting was almost photographic in its representation. According to our text, the painting was very large, “ten and one-half feet by nine feet”
…show more content…
It was amusingly described by the BBC as being the “world's first photobomb” (Farago).
Las Meninas is considered by Blake Gopnik to be “the greatest work of art in the Western tradition” and that “Las Meninas" isn't just a single impeccable piece...It is like an encyclopedia of artistic greatness: It has a gorgeous surface, amazing space and light, a tantalizing cast and a complex plot; it is stunning as a whole but also when you're looking at a tiny detail in it; it gives instant pleasure as well as slow-burn philosophical rewards” (Gopnik).
I tend to agree. When I look at the painting I'm mesmerized by how real it appears, and it sets me to daydream about how life in the court, and life in general, must have been at the time. I believe this is what great art is supposed to do. It is timeless and speaks to generations beyond its own, allowing us to have a brief glimpse of history not as observers, but as
It was amusingly described by the BBC as being the “world's first photobomb” (Farago).
Las Meninas is considered by Blake Gopnik to be “the greatest work of art in the Western tradition” and that “Las Meninas" isn't just a single impeccable piece...It is like an encyclopedia of artistic greatness: It has a gorgeous surface, amazing space and light, a tantalizing cast and a complex plot; it is stunning as a whole but also when you're looking at a tiny detail in it; it gives instant pleasure as well as slow-burn philosophical rewards” (Gopnik).
I tend to agree. When I look at the painting I'm mesmerized by how real it appears, and it sets me to daydream about how life in the court, and life in general, must have been at the time. I believe this is what great art is supposed to do. It is timeless and speaks to generations beyond its own, allowing us to have a brief glimpse of history not as observers, but as