Diego Velázquez, Las Meninas, 1656
Velázquez was the royal painter for King Philip IV, but this is not a royal painting. However, the
painting contains the royal family. This painting is more of an advertisement for the painter's ability to
manipulate the medium. He does this through incredible detail and complex composition.
The 10’ 5” x 9’1” painting looks quite theatrical in composition. The painting takes place in
Velázquez studio and each figure looks so choreographed in the room, like characters in a play
who've practiced their poses and spots. Every stroke is intentional in making this painting so
visually complex.
In the composition, there is more than one focus point. You have the young infants whose color
scheme is a lot more illuminating than the surrounding figures. Behind the girl, you have her parents
in the mirror. With the use of linear perspective, the viewer can feel as if they are portraying the royalty
themselves. The couple has highlights that make them pop out to the viewer, which differentiates
between the darker figures. The painting might also draw your eye to the man in the doorway. His
background is bright, and his facade is darker, and that contrast pulls the viewer's attention. Many of
these things can be the intended focal point of this masterful painting. He left so much imagination to
the viewers in how they interrupt this play like art piece.
Chattyfeet, et al. “The History and Mystery of 'Las Meninas' by Diego Velázquez.” My Modern Met, 17 Feb. 2022, https://mymodernmet.com/diego-velazquez-las-meninas/.
“Everything You Must Know about Las Meninas.” DailyArt Magazine, 17 Jan. 2022, https://www.dailyartmagazine.com/things-you-must-know-about-velazquez-las-meninas/.
“Las Meninas: Is This The Best Painting In History?” YouTube, Nerdwriter1 , 20 Jan. 2016, https://youtu.be/WKRKrpz09Fk. Accessed 22 Feb. 2022.
“Las Meninas (Ladies-in-Waiting) (1656).” Las Meninas, Velazquez: Analysis, Interpretation, mmmhttp://www.visual-arts-cork.com/famous-paintings/las-meninas.htm.
I am not in love with this painting. After looking at it for a bit I felt like I didn’t like the back of the easel taking up the view. I felt like the action in the painting was all focused on the lower ⅓ of the painting. Kind of like the 200 plus pictures my sister's four year old took with my phone the last time she was over. Something seems off about the size of the door and the man within it. My eyes were led to the man in the doorway but I couldn’t see him clearly. The doorway did balance out the symmetry of the painting with the mirror of the king and queen next to it. The distance to the door doesn’t seem long enough to be as small as it is and the man in the doorway seems a tiny bit too large for the door. The man to the right of the nun in the background is overly dark. I also think the artist painted the dwarfs' faces a tad harsh where everyone not with a special need is beautiful to include the artist. The dogs' faces are also overly shadowed.
ReplyDeleteWhat I liked about this painting was that despite the more sparse space toward the top of the painting it was cool to see the height of the room. Additionally, it was interesting to see the paintings in the background of this painting. I read that the background paintings were Rubens that were actually in the artist's studio. I can make out two human figures in the bottom painting on the wall and it was interesting to see the paintings and how they were painted within a painting. I also liked the detail in the infanta’s dress. I liked how the dabs and strokes of the brush with the paint look like fabric and details of the dress. I could see the theme of the painting. There was a lot of different things to focus on.
I read that the painter in the painting is Velázquez and it is an oil on canvas. I think he painted himself very handsomely. I also read that the painting had been cut down on both the left and right sides due to a fire that destroyed the alcázar in 1734. This could have been why the proportions seemed off to me. The painting has also suffered a loss of texture and hue due to pollution and that could be why I think it looks too dark in places. It was interesting to learn that it is believed to be the king and queen in the painting in the background but it's not a painting it’s actually a mirror. This painting is growing on me the more I read about it. It was also interesting to read that a red ribbon was added to the painter after his death and that the king of Spain had added it.
This painting made me feel indifferent. I wouldn’t have it in my home because it is of someone else’s family and home. I like to add artwork that matches how I decorate my home or with family pictures. I really wanted to like it, especially after I watched a video on it which said that it could be the best painting in history. It didn’t do that for me but was interesting to read about. I hope this doesn’t mean I have bad taste in art. I have reviewed two paintings of decapitated heads so my judgement might be off.
Las Meninas: Is This the Best Painting in History? - Youtube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WKRKrpz09Fk.
“Las Meninas.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 23 Nov. 2021, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Las_Meninas
The attention to detail in this painting is impressive. Every person and object in the room is very life-like due to the artist's ability to paint. Another beautiful technique in this detail is the contrast of light and shade. The painter carried the light from the window well by using a lighter shade on the women. On the contrary, I wish that the paintings in the art piece were a brighter shade to see them better.
ReplyDeleteBased on your analysis, it seems like you were relating this piece to the influence of royalty due to the family in the painting being royalty. I wondered if this art piece could be associated with the rise of the merchant class? The family in the image looks wealthy, and the date the painting was created was around the time the economy increased, leading to the growth of Merchant's family paintings.