Diego Velazquez

Diego Velázquez was a representative Spanish painter of the 17th century and one of the great masters of Baroque art. He worked as the court painter for King Philip IV of Spain, and created many portraits of members of the royal family and court. In particular, his outstanding realism and deep insight into the inner lives of people had a major influence on artists of later generations. His signature work, Las Meninas, is a masterpiece that remains in the history of painting and continues to fascinate many people today.

Diego Velázquez Biography

• Born June 6, 1599 (Baptismal Day) in Seville, Spain
• From around 1610, he trained in the workshop of the Seville painter Francisco Pacheco.
• In 1617 he began working as an independent painter, and the following year he married Paceco's daughter.
• In 1623 he moved to Madrid and was appointed court painter to King Philip IV.
• 1629-1631: First trip to Italy. Visited Venice and Rome, and studied the works of Titian and Michelangelo.
• 1649-1651: Second trip to Italy. Created portraits of Pope Innocent X and others in Rome.
• As a court painter, he painted many portraits of members of the royal family and courtiers.
• 1656: Created "Las Meninas"
• Died in Madrid on August 6, 1660 (aged 61)

Representative works

• Las Meninas (1656)
• The Surrender of Breda (1634-1635)
• Portrait of Innocent X (1650)
• Infanta Margarita Teresa in a Blue Dress (1659)
• The Rokeby Venus (c. 1647-1651)

The Art of Diego Velázquez

The greatest feature of Velázquez's art is its outstanding realism . He was particular about depicting his subjects as they were, and even when painting royalty or aristocrats, he did not hide their flaws or aging. He also excelled in expressing atmosphere and light, and in his later works, in particular, he shows his attempt to capture the essence of his subjects with free and bold brushwork. In his masterpiece, Las Meninas, he pursued the possibilities of pictorial space using complex composition and visual tricks. This work poses questions to the viewer that approach the very essence of art: what is painting, and what is reality?

Diego Velázquez's influence and later recognition

Velázquez's outstanding realistic expression and deep insight had a great influence on artists of later generations. In particular, the 19th century French painter Manet and Impressionist painters were strongly influenced by Velázquez's free brushwork and expression of light. In addition, the 20th century painter Francis Bacon created a series of works based on the motif of "Pope Innocent X". Today, Velázquez is highly regarded around the world as one of the greatest painters in the history of Spanish painting. Keywords such as " realistic expression ," " Las Meninas ," " court painter ," " Philip IV ," " Manet ," and " Impressionism " are important elements in understanding Velázquez's art. His works are housed in museums around the world and continue to fascinate many people even today.