The Toilet Of Venus: The Rokeby Venus By Diego Velazquez

The Toilet of Venus (“The Rokeby Venus”), by Diego Velazquez, is an amazing oil painting currently displayed at the National Gallery of Art in London. This 122.7 x 177cm oil painting dates back to 1647-51, which I had the pleasure to view via virtual tour at nationalgallery.org.uk. The tour itself was well organized and concise, organized by room and artist. The tour had a 360 degree view, which did make me feel slightly dizzy and made the artwork hard to scroll in and focus on, but in the end, I found my way around, which led to this specific piece catching my eye.
Velazquez uses oil paint as his medium to portray The Toilet of Venus (“The Rokeby Venus”. Oil paint is a convenient medium to use because it dries slowly, allowing artists to make changes over longer periods of time than other mediums (page 222). Oil paint is also …show more content…
I felt that there was much more to interpret than just the beauty of the nude woman. While studying the differing formal elements of art and principals of design within this artwork, I gained a better appreciation for the possible meaning of the painting, even though I was not able to see it in person myself. Despite my personal interpretations, I question what Velazquez thought while painting this woman. Secondary sources say that this woman may have actually been a mistress to Velazquez (“The Rokeby Venus”). Scholars say that she looks very similar to a woman commonly depicted in his other works of art, creating theories of a possible personal relation between the artist and the woman (“The Rokeby Venus”). Knowing this, it makes me question, did Velazquez view her as beautiful? Was she an inspiration for him, or just a random woman that scholars are wrong about? I question how his overall opinion of her changed the way this woman looked in real life verse how he depicted her. Did his possible yearnings for her make him depict her as a god-like figure, or was she actually