Las Meninas: Overview
In 1656, a Spanish artist by the name of Diego Velázquez painted the masterpiece, Las Meninas, meaning “The Ladies-in-waiting”. This painting has been marveled at for centuries and has also been regarded as one of the most influential paintings of Velázquez’s time. To fully understand why the painting was so controversial, we have to learn more about the painter that painted this piece.
Diego Velázquez
Diego Rodríguez de Silva y Velázquez was born in 1599 in Seville in southern Spain. During the Golden Age of Spain (1500-1681), Seville was a lively city and had a large population of artists, merchants, slaves, and sailors. Velázquez went under Francisco Pacheco’s wing — one of the most influential and prominent painters of the time — to learn technical skills of art, as well as philosophy. After finishing his apprenticeship, Velázquez went on to set up his own art studio and married Pacheco’s daughter, whom he had two daughters with. Velázquez’s style was unique as he occasionally combined traditional/religious styles of painting and “bodogenes” which are paintings of everyday scenes.
Velázquez’s Rise to Prominence
Through his connections with Pacheco, his father-in-law and teacher, Velázquez was able to accept a commission from King Phillip IV. King Phillip IV was very impressed by Velázquez, and Velázquez was offered a job as a court painter for the Spanish Royalty. After he accepted the job, Velázquez traveled to Italy in 1629 to learn and study Italian painters, notably the works of Titian. In 1631, Velázquez went back to Spain and painted Christ Contemplated by the Christian Soul.
During his time as a court painter, he climbed the ranks in the Royal Court, being promoted to Assistant to the Wardrobe in 1636, and was promoted again to Gentleman of the Bedchamber in 1643. He would later be promoted yet again in 1647 and would be in charge of modernizing many of the Spanish Palaces, including the Alcázar palace. It would be in 1658, 2 years before his death in 1660, that he would paint Las Meninas, the forever renowned piece that included a child princess with her maids, hence the name Las Meninas.
Las Meninas: Analysis
Las Meninas was very unique at the time, as it was very different than earlier royal paintings. The painting was not a still-life portrait, but instead was a painting of an “everyday scene” of the royal family. The people present in the portrait are from left to right, Diego Velázquez painting and supposedly looking at a mirror, Maria Agustina Sarmiento — a servant — kneeling beside the child, the King and Queen in the back window, the child princess Infanta Margaret Theresa, José Nieto — the Head of Tapestry — at the stairwell, Isabel De Valasco — a servant — curtsying, two “dwarfs” standing to the right of them, and two chaperones for the princess in the back. The painting is speculated to also be a way for Velázquez to show off his worthiness as he painted himself along with the royals. It also must be noted that Velázquez painted a red cross on his tunic, signifying that he was a part of one of the most prestigious religious institutions — Order of the Santiago.
Las Meninas: Lasting Effects
Las Meninas would not be widely known until the late 18th century and grew to prominence in the early 19th century. The painting has been parodied and recreated by many other world-renowned artists such as Pablo Picasso and Salvador Dali. His painting is now regarded as a national treasure by the Spanish and is now presented in the Museo Nacional del Prado in Madrid, Spain.
Sources:
- Velázquez’s Las Meninas: much more than meets the eye
- The History and Mystery of ‘Las Meninas’ by Diego Velázquez
- Diego Velázquez (1599 – 1660) | National Gallery, London
- Golden Age | Siglo de Oro, Spanish Literature, & Definition | Britannica
- Seville | Encyclopedia.com
