Diego Velazquez was born in the 1600’s, and was a renowned painter of the Baroque period. Known most famously for his painting, Las Meninas, Velazquez inspired and was emulated by numerous artists. Beginning in 1611, for six years he apprenticed at the hand of Francisco Pacheco, acquiring skills on how to paint with an idealized style. However, after his apprenticeship, Velazquez shifted techniques to paint with a more realistic manner. Following his first commission by the royal family of Spain, he was tapped by the king to be the official painter (Everett Fahy, The Met), and the works created for the royal family proved to be his most accomplished. Las Meninas was completed in 1656, one of many paintings commissioned by the royal family
…show more content…
She is surrounded by a multitude of figures; in closest proximity to her are the aforementioned meninas, Dona Maria Agustina and Dona Isabel de Velasco, left to right, respectively. The Infanta and both meninas consist of the first grouping of three. Both Maria Agustina and Isabel de Velasco are clothed almost identically, with similar adornments styled in their hair and wearing dresses of comparable hues. Agustina is depicted facing towards the Infanta, presenting her with a glass of water; and opposite, de Velasco leans towards the Infanta but is not directly looking at the princess, instead she gazes out towards the viewer, perhaps looking at the subject that is being painted. The subsequent group of three stands closest in the foreground; two little people and a dog are positioned in the right corner of the painting. At first glance, the little people may appear to be children but upon closer inspection it becomes easier to observe their adult features. The woman, Mari Barbola, standing behind the dog appears to be holding an object, and is looking in the same direction as de Velasco. Barbola’s dress is in the same style as the meninas, but is colored blue with white detailing. To Barbola’s side, perched against the wall, is the second little person by the name of Nicolasico Pertusato, dressed in red, feet skimming the dog. To the right of the background are Lady of …show more content…
225). There are many meta characteristics of Las Meninas, and the placement of the artist himself within the painting was an adventurous move on Velazquez’s part. As mentioned earlier, the gazes of the figures appear to be looking at the king and queen being painted by Velazquez, but Kahr and Leo Steinberg suggest that “[Velazquez] is looking at us instead… we enter upon Las Meninas as if we were part of the family, party to the event” (Leo Steinberg, p. 48). The viewer on the outside of the canvas makes eye contact with the painter and most of the figures in the painting. It appears that their faces contain the same quizzical look, possibly wondering why the viewer is presented before them; for the painter possibly “considering his next stroke, or perhaps waiting for things to settle” (Steinberg, p. 50). The viewer is always changing; moving away from the painting, coming back. Velazquez presents himself to be in a moment of anticipation, observing the viewer’s constant shifting. However, it can also be interpreted that the gaze of the figures are towards the king and queen reflected in the mirror. The mirror can also be mistaken for an already finished portrait, but the cloudy detailing of the glass suggests that it is a
She is surrounded by a multitude of figures; in closest proximity to her are the aforementioned meninas, Dona Maria Agustina and Dona Isabel de Velasco, left to right, respectively. The Infanta and both meninas consist of the first grouping of three. Both Maria Agustina and Isabel de Velasco are clothed almost identically, with similar adornments styled in their hair and wearing dresses of comparable hues. Agustina is depicted facing towards the Infanta, presenting her with a glass of water; and opposite, de Velasco leans towards the Infanta but is not directly looking at the princess, instead she gazes out towards the viewer, perhaps looking at the subject that is being painted. The subsequent group of three stands closest in the foreground; two little people and a dog are positioned in the right corner of the painting. At first glance, the little people may appear to be children but upon closer inspection it becomes easier to observe their adult features. The woman, Mari Barbola, standing behind the dog appears to be holding an object, and is looking in the same direction as de Velasco. Barbola’s dress is in the same style as the meninas, but is colored blue with white detailing. To Barbola’s side, perched against the wall, is the second little person by the name of Nicolasico Pertusato, dressed in red, feet skimming the dog. To the right of the background are Lady of …show more content…
225). There are many meta characteristics of Las Meninas, and the placement of the artist himself within the painting was an adventurous move on Velazquez’s part. As mentioned earlier, the gazes of the figures appear to be looking at the king and queen being painted by Velazquez, but Kahr and Leo Steinberg suggest that “[Velazquez] is looking at us instead… we enter upon Las Meninas as if we were part of the family, party to the event” (Leo Steinberg, p. 48). The viewer on the outside of the canvas makes eye contact with the painter and most of the figures in the painting. It appears that their faces contain the same quizzical look, possibly wondering why the viewer is presented before them; for the painter possibly “considering his next stroke, or perhaps waiting for things to settle” (Steinberg, p. 50). The viewer is always changing; moving away from the painting, coming back. Velazquez presents himself to be in a moment of anticipation, observing the viewer’s constant shifting. However, it can also be interpreted that the gaze of the figures are towards the king and queen reflected in the mirror. The mirror can also be mistaken for an already finished portrait, but the cloudy detailing of the glass suggests that it is a