San Velazquez s Las Meninas - 2698 Words

Kim 1 Diego Velà ¡zquez s Las Meninas Las Meninas by Diego Velà ¡zquez is depicted as a group portrait of Spanish King Philip IV (8 April 1605 - 17 September 1665) at the Habsburg court. The painting well demonstrates Velà ¡zquez s painting techniques that can be recognized by dramatic mood, rich color and extreme contrast between light and dark. It is absolutely extraordinary and implies influences Velà ¡zquez has had, especially Flemish Baroque realism. Velà ¡zquez had a deeper ambition in his mind when creating this masterpiece. He wanted to earn the title that can ensure him a high position in society. So, Velà ¡zquez had this desire for an aristocratic title better than any other single court positions he could get. Diego Velà ¡zquez was born in†¦show more content†¦Greatest Works of Art of Western Civilization. New York: Artisan, 1997., 226 . Velà ¡zquez used refined techniques and composition so effectively to create this masterpiece describing the presence of the royal family. To create such a high-class art, he emphasized his techniques and ability by reflecting reality in the painting. A clear and description of the royal court, Las Meninas is a masterpiece that demonstrates both Velà ¡zquez s skill as a painter and the complexities of human intellectualism. The figures are painted near life-sized to show many things; overwhelming realism, complexities, and symbolism. The painting is oil on canvas completed in 1656. At first, the painting was called El Cuadro de la Familia in seventeenth-century the Royal Palace at Madrid Martin, John Rupert. Baroque. New York: Harper Row, 1977., 337 . The main focal point is Infanta Margarita Maria, the royal princess who stares the audience from the middle of the painting. Around her are two of the Queen s maids of honor, Dona Maria Augustina on the left and Dona Isabel de Velasco on the right. There are two older people behind the princess, Dona Marcela de Ulloa and Guarda Damas. There is also Velà ¡zquez himself standing back of the easel. He indicates his privilege by putting himself in the painting. All these people in the