Culture & Arts; Lecturer, Writer, Contents creator, Broadcaster
;President, Art Collage JANG/J Books & Media/Modigliani Institute Korea
;Author, “The Great and Immortal Painters’ Stories” series
Influenced by:
Caravaggio, Titian, Antonis Mor, Alonso Sánchez Coello
Influenced on:
Francis Bacon, Edouard Manet, Francisco Goya, John Singer Sargent, Pablo
Picasso, James Abbott McNeill Whistler, Salvador Dalí, Juan Bautista Martínez
del Mazo, Juan Carreño de Miranda
Teachers:Francisco Pacheco, Francisco Herrera the Elder
Friends/Co-workers: Peter
Paul Rubens
Family/Relatives:Francisco Pacheco
Diego
Velázquez was a Spanish painter born on June 6, 1599 (baptized) and died on
August 6, 1660.
Birthplace of Velázquez, Seville
He was the leading artist in the court of King Philip IV and of
the Spanish Golden Age.
Philip IV of Spain
He began to paint in a tenebrist style, using the
intense contrasts of light and dark, and after that developed a more liberal
method characterized by bold brushwork.
Martyrdom of St Andrew, an example of Tenebrism, Jusepe de Ribera (1628)
In addition to numerous paintings
depicting scenes of historical and cultural significance, he also painted
portraits of the Spanish royal family and commoners, which was culminated in
his masterpiece "Las Meninas (1656)."
Las Meninas, Diego Velázquez (1656)
Velázquez's works became a
model for 19th century realist and impressionist painters. In the 20th century,
artists such as Pablo Picasso, Salvador Dalí and Francis Bacon paid homage to
Velázquez by re-interpreting some of his most iconic paintings.
Las Meninas, Pablo Picasso (1957)
Velázquez Painting the Infanta Margarita With the Lights and Shadows of His Own Glory, Salvador Dalí (1958)
Study after Velázquez's Portrait of Pope Innocent X, Francis Bacon (1953)
On every Thursday,
I am introducing the stories about various artists and their paintings with the
title “Interesting
Art Stories”.
The 40th story for
this week is “Las
Meninas” by Diego Velázquez.
“Las
Meninas” is a 1656 painting by Diego Velázquez, the leading artist of the
Spanish Golden Age, which is now in the Museo del Prado in Madrid, Spain.
Museo del Prado
This
painting depicts Infanta Margaret Theresa, who was then 5 years old, surrounded
by her maids, chaperone, bodyguard, two dwarfs and a dog.
Margaret Theresa of Spain
Velázquez, just
behind them, is drawing at a large canvas and looks outward where a viewer of
the painting would stand. In the background of the painting there is a mirror
that reflects the king and queen, and they appear to be standing in a similar
position to that of the viewer of the painting.
This painting has long been
recognized as one of the most important paintings in Western art history. The
Baroque painter Luca Giordano described the painting as the "theology of
painting", and Thomas Lawrence, the president of the Royal Academy of
Arts, described it as "the true philosophy of the art" in a letter to
his successor David Wilkie.
Luca Giordano
Thomas Lawrence
In 17th-century Spain, when
this painting was created, painters did not enjoy high social status because
the painting at that time was regarded as a craft rather than an art such as
poetry or music. Nevertheless, Velázquez gained the trust of Philip IV and
served as a high-ranked official in his court.
Philip IV of Spain
Elizabeth of France, Philip IV's
first wife, died in 1644, and their only son, Balthasar Charles, died two years
later.
Elisabeth of France
Balthasar Charles
Philip, who had no children to inherit the throne, married Mariana of
Austria again in 1649. The main character of this painting, Margaret Theresa,
was their first child and their only child at the time of this painting.
Mariana of Austria
Later,
Mariana gave birth to Theresa's short-lived brother, Philip Prospero
(1657–1661), and then Charles, who succeeded to the throne as Charles II at the
age of four.
Philip Prospero
Charles II of Spain
Philip himself resisted being portrayed in his old age, but
allowed Velázquez to include him in this painting. In the early 1650s, he gave
Velázquez the main room of the house where the late Balthasar Charles lived,
which was then used as the palace museum, to use as his studio, where this
painting was created. In his studio, there was a chair for King Philip, and he
often sat in it and watched Velázquez work. King Philip, who loved art so much,
seems to have been very fond of Velázquez.
During the 1640s and 1650s,
Velázquez worked as a court painter and a curator of Philip IV for the
collection of European art. Much of the collection currently owned by the Prado
Museum, including works by Titian, Raphael, and Rubens, were acquired by
Velázquez's efforts.
Diego Velázquez
In this painting, Philip IV
and Mariana in the mirror appear to be standing in the position of the viewer,
facing Theresa and her attendants from the outside of the pictorial space. Such
mirror image gives the same effect as if the king and queen are
"inside" of the pictorial space although they are "outside"
the painting.
This painting is likely
influenced by Jan van Eyck's “Arnolfini Portrait” in 1434. Because van Eyck’s
painting at the time was hung in King Philip's palace, Velázquez would have
been very familiar with the painting. The Arnolfini Portrait also includes a
mirror that shows figures, like Velázquez's painting.
Arnolfini Portrait, Jan van Eyck
In 1692, the Neapolitan
painter Luca Giordano became one of the few allowed to view paintings held in
Philip IV's private apartments. He was very impressed by “Las Meninas” and was
inspired to paint “A Homage to Velázquez”, now owned by the National Gallery in
London.
A Homage to Velázquez, Luca Giordano
In 1666, ten years after
“Las Meninas” was painted, Juan Bautista Martínez del Mazo painted Margaret
Theresa, who was then 15 years old. In the background of the painting, there
are figures in the doorways, which have been further receded, one of which is
the new king, Charles II, the brother of Margaret Theresa, and another is the
dwarf Maribarbola.
Infanta Margarita Teresa of Spain in Mourning Dress, Juan Bautista Martínez del Mazo
Mazo's portrait of the widowed Queen Mariana also shows
Maribarbola and other dwarfs and a young king through a doorway, and his
portrait of “The Family of the Artist” also shows a similar composition to that
of “Las Meninas.”
Mariana of Spain in Mourning, Juan Bautista Martínez del Mazo
The Family of the Artist, Juan Bautista Matinez del Mazo
Francisco Goya referred to
“Las Meninas” as the model for his “Charles IV of Spain and His Family”, and in
both paintings Velázquez and Goya are working on a canvas.
Charles IV of Spain and His Family, Francisco Goya
In 1882, John Singer
Sargent painted a homage to “Las Meninas” in his “The Daughters of Edward
Darley Boit,” and the Irish artist John Lavery chose “Las Meninas” as the basis
for his portrait, “The Royal Family at Buckingham Palace.”
The Daughters of Edward Darley Boit, John Singer Sargent
The Royal Family at Buckingham Palace, John Lavery
In 1957, Pablo Picasso
painted a series of interpretations of “Las Meninas.”
