Contexts of Practice: Ways of seeing- Diego Velazquez

Ways of seeing- Diego Velazquez

This is a stunning painting that now hangs in the Museo Nacional del Prado in Madrid, Spain. It is an oil on canvas and measures approximately 10’5″ x 9′.

It forms a culmination of works and techniques that the artist had used in earlier works. The mirror in his Rokeby Venus, and in Christ in the House of Martha and Mary, we see a similar type of foreground and background interaction happening, with Mary and Martha in the foreground, with Christ and his disciples in the background.

Las Meninas is one of Velázquez’s greatest works of art. It was painted in 1656 and Las Meninas simply means, “maids of honor.” It is a work which truly marks the upper class, as we see at the center of the composition, the blond Infanta Marguerita. She was the daughter of King Philip IV and Queen Mariana of Spain. The painting shows the girl not in her regal attire (there is no crown for a start), but in a setting of the artist’s studio, herself being painted. It shows her servants around her, along with a couple of dwarves, two adult figures, and at the forefront of the picture, a dog lying down.

We can also see that the artist (Velázquez himself), is peering from his large canvas to look into a mirror and paint the reflection of the entire scene. This is why we see him in the painting as well. It is a curious, but very interesting perspective from which to paint.

Las Meninas by Diego Velázquez – Facts & History of the Painting. 2013.Las Meninas by Diego Velázquez – Facts & History of the Painting. [ONLINE] Available at: http://totallyhistory.com/las-meninas/. [Accessed 23 May 2013].

Here is a video to explain the painting in greater detail...

Velazquez's Las Meninas painted in using a mirror, Nigel Konstam demonstrates - YouTube. 2013. Velazquez's Las Meninas painted in using a mirror, Nigel Konstam demonstrates - YouTube. [ONLINE] Available at:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ujmaPujawJI. [Accessed 23 May 2013].

Here are some of Picasso's interpretations of the painting...