Exotic tours / 22.06.2023

Paintings by the artist Velazquez. Diego Velazquez biography. Moving to Madrid

Velasquez Diego, the great Spanish painter. Actually, Diego Rodriguez de Silva Velazquez (Diego Rodriguez de Silva Velazquez). Velasquez was born on June 6, 1599 in the city of Seville in Spain, in a family of Portuguese Jews who converted to Christianity. He studied in his native city with the painters Francisco de Herrera the Elder and Francisco Pacheco (1610-1616), in 1617 he received the title of master. Until 1623 Velazquez worked in Seville. Early turning to the range of themes and images new to Spanish painting, in scenes from folk life “bodegones” (from the Spanish bodegon - a tavern) created a gallery of brightly characteristic, full-blooded folk types (“Breakfast”, about 1618, the Hermitage, St. Petersburg; “ Water Carrier”, circa 1622, Wellington Museum, London). The contrasting lighting of the figures brought to the fore, the density of writing, the interest in accurately conveying the features of nature bring the painting of the Seville period of the artist Diego Velazquez closer to caravagism.

In 1623 Velázquez moved to Madrid and became a royal painter. Acquaintance with the royal collection of paintings, meetings with Peter Paul Rubens, who visited Spain in late 1628 - early 1629, and a trip to Italy (late 1629 - early 1631) contributed to the improvement of his skills. The artist peered into the world more penetratingly, broke with the conventions inherent in the art of his time, and looked for ways to create canvases of a broad generalizing meaning. In the paintings “Bacchus” (“Drunkards”, before 1630) and “Forge of Vulcan” (1630; both paintings in the Prado Museum, Madrid), the artist combined the mythological images of the gods with rough, deliberately mundane images of people, endowed them with real psychological characters.

The formation of Diego Velazquez as a portrait painter was greatly influenced by life at the royal court, which taught the artist to comprehend the depths of the human character hidden under the mask of court etiquette. Dispassionately cold ceremonial equestrian portraits of royal persons (Infanta Baltasar Carlos, 1634–1635, Prado, Madrid) are distinguished by the restrained magnificence of poses, clothes, horses, and the grandeur of landscape backgrounds.

In the portraits of courtiers, friends, students, Velazquez accumulated and synthesized his observations, selected the necessary visual means. These canvases usually lack accessories, gestures, and movement. The neutral background, due to the subtle ratio of the valers, has depth and airiness; the dark tones of the robes direct the viewer's attention to evenly lit faces. The unique combinations of shades of silver-gray, olive, gray-brown, found for each portrait, with a general restraint of the range, create an individual structure of images (portraits: Juan Mateos, circa 1632, Art Gallery, Dresden; Count-Duke Olivares, circa 1638, Hermitage, St. Petersburg; “Lady with a Fan”, about 1648, Wallace collection, London; a series of portraits of the Infante, Louvre, Prado).

The wise impartiality and humanity of Velasquez were embodied in his portraits of royal jesters and dwarfs (El Bobo from Coria, El Primo, the so-called Juan of Austria, Sebastian Mora and others, all from 1631–1648, Prado, Madrid). The subtly and precisely designed gamut of red and pink shades is an emotional key to understanding the harshly truthful image of Pope Innocent X (1650, Doria Pamphilj Gallery, Rome), whose portrait Velasquez painted during his second trip to Italy in late 1648 - mid-1651. The same period includes “Venus in front of a mirror” (circa 1650, National Gallery, London), in which an unusual compositional technique (Venus’s face is visible only in a mirror) gives a special freshness and sharpness to the image of a flexible, slender, full of vital charm of a naked female body, as well as two landscapes "Villa Medici" (1650-1651, Prado, Madrid; according to another opinion - around 1630), in an unusually wide pictorial manner for their time, recreating integral images of nature.

In the last years of his life, Diego Velazquez painted two of his most famous paintings. In the painting “La Meninas” (“Ladies of Honor”, 1657, Prado, Madrid) there is a private episode of court life (in the foreground - the Infanta Margarita, surrounded by ladies-in-waiting and dwarfs, next to him is the artist himself painting a portrait of the Spanish royal couple, reflected in the mirror in the back of the hall ), depicted in a bold spatial spread, appears as one of the moments of the general flow of life in all the complexity of its interconnected and changeable manifestations. The captivating beauty and pictorial diversity of reality were embodied in the gray-pearl coloring of the painting with blue, pink, dark gray, brownish transparent strokes applied with free strokes of the brush.

The Spinners (1657, Prado, Madrid), a scene in the royal carpet workshop with figures of spinners in the foreground and a brightly lit room in the depths of the composition, where the ladies of the court examine the finished carpet depicting the myth of Arachne - a weaver who surpassed the goddess Athena in her skill. The contrasts of lighting, the “two-layer” spatial structure of the composition, a kind of golden dust that envelops the spindly figures create in the picture a special atmosphere of a common feeling for all the characters, uniting all their movements, gestures, spiritual impulses.

In the later works of Velazquez, the features of his creative method were most fully reflected: a deep comprehension of life in all its richness and the contradictory nature of its manifestations, the integrity of its figurative-plastic embodiment, the unity of all elements of the artistic form. The painter Diego Velasquez painted without preliminary sketches, directly on the canvas, organically combining direct impressions from nature with a strict thoughtfulness of the composition, achieving the impression of seemingly free improvisation and at the same time a broad generalization. The work of the artist Velazquez is the pinnacle of Spanish painting of the 17th century and one of the brightest phenomena in world art.

Diego Rodriguez de Silva y Velázquez (Spanish: Diego Rodríguez de Silva y Velázquez; June 6, 1599, Seville - August 6, 1660, Madrid) is a Spanish artist, the greatest representative of the golden age of Spanish painting.

Biography of Diego Velasquez

Velazquez was born in Seville in 1599, into a poor noble family of immigrants from Portugal. The exact date of his birth is unknown, but the day of christening is fixed - June 6 (and in those days they tried to baptize babies immediately after birth).

Soon Velasquez's father became aware of his son's ability to art, and he took the ten-year-old Diego to the studio of the famous Spanish artist F. Herrera. The very fact of choosing such a profession was a challenge for the Spanish aristocracy, because the profession of an artist was considered an unacceptable occupation for a nobleman.

Diego did not study with Herrera for long, they did not agree on the characters.

A year later, he worked in the studio of another artist, Francisco Pacheco, with whom he remained until 1617, when he received the title of master. Pacheco turned out to be an ardent admirer of antiquity and an excellent teacher. According to the setting principle of the teacher “all the art of the painter is in the drawing”, Diego draws a lot. According to Pacheco himself, as a young man, Velazquez “paid for a peasant boy who served as his model. He portrayed him in various forms and poses, either crying or laughing, not stopping at any difficulties.

On the advice of his teacher, Diego hones his drawing skills, which allows him to accurately reproduce nature, in painting on everyday topics, in Spanish - bodegones.

In 1622 he visited the Spanish capital for the first time. In a practical sense, this trip was not very successful - Velasquez did not find a worthy place for himself. He hoped to meet the young King Philip IV, but this meeting did not take place.

However, he took some important steps. Rumors about the young artist reached the court, and already in the next year, 1623, the first minister, the Duke de Olivares (also a native of Seville), invited Velasquez to Madrid to paint a portrait of the king. This work, which has not come down to us, made such a pleasant impression on the king that he immediately offered Velázquez the position of court painter. He accepted the offer without hesitation.

The meeting with Rubens, who arrived in Madrid in 1628 as a diplomat, also brought considerable benefit in the life of the artist. For nine months, the great painters communicated intensively. Apparently, it was Rubens who advised Velázquez to visit Italy. Shortly after the departure of Rubens, Velasquez begged the king to give him permission for this trip, which lasted from August 1629 to January 1631. Returning home, he continued his state and artistic works.

Creativity Velasquez

A bold, Spanish painter, who was distinguished from everyone by the fact that, like no one else, he could penetrate the character of the model, while possessing a heightened sense of harmony, subtlety and richness of color. According to early biographers, he grasped everything literally on the fly, learned to read very early, and already in childhood began to collect a library, which by the end of the artist’s life grew into a collection that amazed his contemporaries with its size and versatility. Judging by the composition of this library, Velazquez was seriously interested in literature, architecture, astronomy, history, mathematics and philosophy. But most of all he was attracted by painting ...

The work of Diego Velazquez is the pinnacle of Spanish art in its heyday. He managed to show the complexity and inconsistency of human nature, his versatility of external and internal appearance, he created images imbued with great vitality.

One of Diego Velasquez's friends wrote: "every brushstroke is the very truth", so the artist possessed the mastery of color, the vivid transfer of people's characters, the transfer of chiaroscuro and all this amazed his contemporaries.

While still a young man, Diego Velasquez painted in 1617 the painting "Breakfast" and in 1620 the paintings "Water Seller", "Old Cook", these paintings were painted in a dark manner, with sharp contours of light and shadow, the artist turned to genre painting , lovingly depicting ordinary people, filled with calm dignity.

When Velazquez was 23 years old, he became the court painter of King Philip IV, from that time the artist was forever attached to the royal court, but he managed to maintain creative freedom.

In the mythological painting "Bacchus" (Bacchus - the ancient Greek god of wine), which was written in 1628 - 1629 and is stored in the Prado Museum in Madrid, Velasquez depicted the peasants' festivities in the open air. In this picture, there are still some details from the early dark manner of the artist.

In the historical painting "Surrender of Breda", Velazquez captured the victory that the Spanish troops won over the Dutch. T

Velasquez, being a court painter, constantly painted portraits of the king, queen, princes and princesses. But Velazquez did not want to betray his realistic art, he knew how in every person, whoever he was, to find the main character traits and convey them brightly and beautifully. So, for example, in a portrait painted in 1644, King Philip IV, dressed in luxurious reddish-pink clothes, Velasquez portrayed a weak-willed, lethargic, sickly person. Count Olivares - a harsh, all-powerful minister.

The Waterseller of Seville Portrait of Pope Innocent X Las Meninas

Velazquez painted portraits not only of the nobility, but also of court jesters, who were called upon to amuse the royal court. He managed to emphasize the characters of these jesters: the modest restraint of the clever dwarf El Primo, the tragic tension of the cripple Moro. The portraits of all these jesters were painted by the artist in the 1640s and they are kept in the Prado Museum.

"Portrait of Pope Innocent X", written in 1650 in Rome, is considered the pinnacle of Velasquez's portrait art. In this portrait, he managed to truthfully and vividly portray the character, showing behind the outward rudeness of the pope - cruelty, anger, iron will and stubbornness. With great skill, Velasquez conveyed all the shades of the pope's crimson face, the brilliance of the crimson silk of his clothes, the foam of white lace. No other artist has ever dared so truthfully to show the character of the head of the Catholic Church.

In the last years of his life, Velazquez painted two famous paintings - Las Meninas in 1656 and Spinners in 1657.

In 1652, the artist was appointed royal chief marshal. The new position of Velasquez (his duties included the preparation and organization of festivities at court) took a lot of time and effort. After a big holiday on the border with France, dedicated to the marriage of the Infanta Maria Theresa with the French King Louis XIV, the artist fell seriously ill, and soon after returning to Madrid, on August 6, 1660, he died.

Famous paintings of the artist

Religious, historical and mythological subjects

"The Adoration of the Magi" (1619, Prado, Madrid)..
"Christ in the House of Martha and Mary" (1620, National Gallery, London).
"The Expulsion of the Moors" (1627, Prado, Madrid).
"The Triumph of Bacchus, or Drunkards" (1628, Prado, Madrid).
"Forge of Vulcan" (1630, Prado, Madrid).
"The bloodied cloak of Joseph is brought to Jacob" (1630, monastery of San Lorenzo, Escorial)
"Crucified Christ" (1632, Prado, Madrid).
"Surrender of Breda (Forest of Spears)" (1634-1635, Prado, Madrid).
"God of War Mars" (circa 1640, Prado, Madrid)

"Aesop" (circa 1640, Prado, Madrid)
"The Coronation of Mary" (1645, Prado, Madrid)
"Mercury and Argus" (circa 1659, Prado, Madrid)

portraits

"Portrait of a young Spaniard" (1630-1631, Alte Pinakothek, Munich)
"Portrait of Count Olivares" (c.1638, Hermitage, St. Petersburg).

"Equestrian portrait of King Philip IV" (1635, Prado, Madrid).
"Self-portrait" (1640, Museum of Fine Arts, Valencia)
"Lady with a Fan" (1640-1642, Wallace Collection, London)
"Portrait of Philip IV in military costume, called La Fraga" (1644, New York, Frick Gallery)
"Portrait of Philip IV" (1656, Prado, Madrid).
(In total, about one and a half dozen portraits of the king were painted over a period of 37 years).
"Portrait of Pope Innocent X" (1650, Rome).
"Portrait of the Infanta Maria Theresa" (1651, Leman collection, New York).
"Portrait of the Infanta Margarita" (1660, Prado, Madrid).
Las Meninas (Ladies of Honor) (1657, Prado, Madrid).

The most prominent representative of the Spanish painting of the "golden" age is the realist painter Diego Velazquez. His work differed significantly from others in its penetration into the character of the model, rich and subtle color, heightened sense of harmony. It was he who laid the foundations in European art. Biographers claimed that Diego was easily given many sciences. He began building a library early, as he learned to read at an early age. It is she who testifies to Velasquez's interested study of many sciences, but painting is still the most alluring for him.

Childhood

In the city of Seville, in a poor but noble family of Jews who converted to Christianity, on June 6, 1599, Velasquez Diego de Silva was born. He was the eldest of eight children in the family. According to a common Andalusian custom, Diego and his brother (also an artist) took their mother's surname. The future fate of the boy was largely determined by the fact that his father was a native of Portugal. At first, Diego, like other male children, was sent to a Latin monastery school.

But at the age of nine, the child already had a pronounced ability for art, so his father sent the artist Herrera, who was popular at that time in Spain, to study in the workshop. The fact of the chosen profession became a challenge for the local aristocracy, as it was considered an unworthy occupation for a nobleman. The character of the teacher was unbearable, because of this, Velazquez did not study for long with this master, and a year later the boy worked in the studio of Francisco Pacheco, a wonderful teacher who adores antiquity.

At Pacheco's house

Diego Velazquez remained in Pacheco's workshop until he received the title of master at the age of eighteen. It is thanks to the advice of his teacher that he improves the ability to accurately reproduce nature. Here, the work of Diego Velasquez is represented by the following paintings: "Immaculate Conception", "Breakfast", "Supper at Emmaus", "Old Cook", "Water Carrier", "Adoration of the Magi", "Christ in the House of Martha and Mary", "Musicians".

After graduation, the mentor, who was attracted by the virtue, purity, genius, as well as other positive qualities of his student, married him his only daughter, sixteen-year-old Juana Miranda. During the first three years of marriage, the young couple had two daughters. At the age of twenty-one, Diego Velazquez opened his own workshop. In the early work of the artist, interest in the representatives of the common people is noticeable. He depicts proud Andalusian ladies, gray-haired old men, cheerful boys and young Spanish people. Along with other Spanish creators, Diego turns to biblical stories, but they do not occupy a large place in the life of the author. As a rule, these paintings do not have a mystical coloring, but rather resemble everyday scenes.

Moving to Madrid

Having changed the entire court environment of his father, the young (sixteen years old) ruler Philip the Fourth learned that the talented Velazquez lives in Seville, who was immediately called to the palace.

At the age of 24, together with his father-in-law, Diego arrives in Madrid. Prime Minister Olivares becomes his patron here. The "Portrait of the Young King Philip IV" painted by the artist is a great success, after which he is awarded the title of court painter. But, unfortunately, this work has not reached our times.

Portrait art

Now Diego Velasquez, whose biography is getting brighter colors, ceases to depend on odd jobs. He has a grand apartment in one of the wings of the palace, and in the suburbs, in one of the castles, he has a spacious workshop. The monarch himself also had the key to it, every day he loved to watch the work of the creator. The only drawback of such a life was the limitation of the subject matter of the paintings that Diego Velazquez created. The portrait became his main genre for many years. The king himself and his children were repeatedly written in the artist's creations. Infanta Margherita, the royal daughter, was especially often portrayed. Portraits have survived to our time, which show changes in the face as it grows and matures.

Diego Velázquez became a resounding success, the lack of a portrait of his work being a sign of bad taste. As a result, a large number of images of courtiers and politicians appeared, as well as a gallery of prominent representatives of Spanish culture.

"Expulsion of the Moriscos"

But Diego's work was not only worship, the envy of the most respected artists led to a conflict due to the fact that the young creator did not take into account academic traditions. As a result, at the insistence of his "senior comrades", a competition was organized, for which the 28-year-old author painted the historical large painting "The Expulsion of the Moriscos". It is dedicated to the expulsion from the country of all inhabitants of Arab origin, the most tragic part of the country's history.

Delight was caused by the work performed by Diego Velasquez. Pictures, the description of which corresponded to the official purpose, hung in one of the palace halls, replenished this sharp, full of expression masterpiece. After a few weeks, he was ordered to be moved to the place where the king's favorite paintings were located - the hall of mirrors.

As for the author himself, he received a high, equivalent to a chamberlain, the post of guardian of the royal door. Envy and malevolence did not affect Velazquez's human qualities in any way. He kept his inner freedom from the whims of the Spanish nobility. This picture, unfortunately, has not survived to this day.

Ancient stories

Velasquez Diego, whose paintings are unusual for domestic traditions, by the age of thirty completes work on such a masterpiece on an antique plot as Drunkards, or Bacchus. The painting depicts a rite of passage into the brotherhood of this god. There is already a more daring choice of types and realistic characteristics of the declassed representatives of the society of that time. Everything is done masterfully, recklessness, bitterness and fun are depicted like modern theater and literature. But in general, the artist respects the optimism and resilience of his people.

It was the antique plot that allowed him to break with the already traditional interior scene of everyday life. Thanks to the action in nature, the lighting becomes smoother and the colors richer. But the contrasts of shadow and light are still very strong, so the foreground is a little heavy, since this method is new to the author. And the creator will acquire a more perfect possession later.

Trip to Italy. Diego Velasquez: Vulcan's Forge

With the permission of the king and, possibly, the advice of Rubens, together with Ambrosio Spinola, Velazquez visits the neighboring peninsula, where he copies paintings and frescoes of eminent masters, gets acquainted with ancient sculpture and the work of his contemporaries. Such a trip greatly expanded Diego's horizons and contributed to the improvement of skills. During this period, Diego Velasquez works very fruitfully. "Forge of Vulcan" was written by him in the capital of Italy. The interpretation of the mythological plot here is very original. The author depicted the moment of receiving fire) from Apollo the news of the betrayal of his wife (Venus).

In this work, earthiness is completely absent, but the irony of the creator is clearly noticeable here. Despite the radiance of Apollo, his image is very prosaic. Vulcan and his assistants are also represented by living people who are not distinguished by divine beauty.

This country gave Velazquez a lot, his painting became more perfect and mature, dark shadows and sharp lines disappeared, the landscape background became very significant.

"Surrender of Breda"

In all its splendor, the artist presents his own skill in the only battle canvas - "Surrender of Breda". It depicts the event of the fall of the Dutch fortress of Breda, besieged by the Spaniards. Its commandant, Justin of Nassau, handed over the keys to the Spanish commander Spinola.

Together they are depicted in the center of the canvas. Bent by the weight of the defeat, Nassau rushes to the winner with the key in his hand. On the other hand, the Spaniards are crowded in black armor, and slender spears create a feeling of superiority in the power and numbers of the Spanish detachment.

Due to the novelty of the artistic solution, as well as the veracity of the depiction of a historical event, this picture became a revelation for its time.

But as before, portraits are the leading genre in the work of Velazquez. They became more diverse in terms of pictorial solution and composition. All this is combined with picturesque freedom and exceptional persuasiveness in the interpretation of landscapes. Over the course of a decade, the master created a whole series of portraits of jesters and dwarfs. By the same time, the picture painted on the plot “Venus and Cupid”, which was forbidden by the Inquisition, with the image of a naked female body, which is rare in Spanish painting, belongs.

Pictures of religious content. Visit to Rome

The Spanish king commissioned a painting from Diego for the monastery of San Placido. This work called "The Crucifixion of Christ" brought the author a resounding success, and its composition is surprisingly simple. The image of Christ does not have a landscape background, and the author also tried to minimally express suffering on his face. The proportions, although ideal, differ from the muscular canons. The picture creates an atmosphere of deep thought and absolute silence.

Along with this artist, other paintings of a similar content were written. Velasquez Diego, whose paintings are already famous, again visits Italy. The works created here brought even greater popularity to the creator. The most striking example is the “Portrait of Pope Innocent X”, which is of particular importance due to the extraordinary skill of painting, deep psychologism and sharp characterization.

The pontiff is depicted sitting in an armchair in a pose filled with hidden tension. The dominating red tone penetrates the figure and gives it liveliness, especially intense in hot light. Not trying to ennoble the ugly face of the Pope, the author portrayed his tenacious and heavy look, temperament and inner strength. Before the viewer appears not a clergyman, but rather a secular ruler - smart, energetic, cunning, vicious and cruel.

Despite the generous reward for the portrait, Innocent found it too truthful, and because of the letter of Philip, who was afraid of losing the artist, Diego Velasquez (whose brief biography does not miss a single significant event in his life) returns to his homeland. After that, the king raises him to the highest position in the state - the marshal, after which the artist receives complete independence.

"Las Meninas"

The greatest creation of Diego is the painting "Las Meninas". This word itself denotes a girl belonging to an aristocratic family, who holds the position of maid of honor of the Spanish Infanta. The composition of this work is very unusual.

The artist depicted one of the rooms of the royal palace - large and gloomy. In its left part, on a stretcher, he himself stands near a large canvas and paints a portrait of the king's family. The viewer can see her reflection in the mirror behind the creator. In the center of the room, surrounded by dwarfs and two meninas, stands Margherita, a charming little infanta. Behind them are the figures of the gentleman and behind the open door in the background is the queen's marshal.

Of the European artists, Velasquez was the first to show the behind-the-scenes life of the royal court. The little infanta and the ladies-in-waiting are depicted with great expressiveness. One of them, according to etiquette, kneels before Margarita, giving her a glass of water. The dwarf seems to be moving and pushing the big dog, while the fat dwarf froze in a daze.

It is rather difficult to determine the genre in which Diego Velazquez's painting "Las Meninas" is written. Elements of a group portrait and everyday scenes are combined here. Masterfully, the author conveyed the space beyond the canvas, filling it with light and air from the open window.

"The Myth of Arachne"

The pinnacle of the artist's creative skill is the work "Spinner", dedicated to the working Spanish people. This picture was the first in the history of Western European painting that told about a simple man, his work.

There are two independent scenes in the composition of the picture. In the semi-gloomy weaving workshop, spinners are depicted in the foreground, who are busy with their work. In the middle, a young worker picks up skeins of wool from the floor, kneeling down. On the right is another spinner, she winds a thread made of wool into a tight ball. The author wrote it very large and realistic, and he conveys confidence and accuracy of movements with the help of the image of large hands with rolled up sleeves and a wide back. Another woman is watching the work of this spinner. And on the left, at the wooden loom, in a scarf carelessly thrown over her head, a tired weaver sits and talks with her assistant. At her bare feet lies a cat. In the background, behind a heavy red curtain drawn back, ready-made tapestries are seen stacked. The scene is depicted without embellishment, ordinary, but the necessary dynamism is given to it by the rotating wheel of the machine and colorfulness.

In the background are two court ladies looking at a carpet hanging on the wall, the bright and pure colors of which give this part of the room a sense of solemn and fabulous performance. On the finished tapestry, Diego depicted the finale of the legend of Arachne, but not the transformation of the girl into a terrible spider, but the triumph of the unsurpassed goddess of art, which is an allegory with political overtones. Thus, the creator expressed respect for the Spanish monarchy, which easily crushes not only individuals, but also any territory.

This picture is not only the apogee of Velasquez's work and his last major work, but also a sympathetic and deep understanding of the injustice of the entire world order.

By this time, Velazquez's court career reached its highest point - he was awarded the Cross of Santiago, the most significant order of Spain. This fact became a precedent, since a man of art became the cavalier of one of the most ancient European ones.

But at that time, the creator was already seriously ill with malaria, which he contracted during the wedding ceremony of the French king and the Spanish princess on Pheasant Island. After returning to Madrid, Diego Rodriguez de Silva Velasquez died at the age of sixty-one. With his death, the heyday of Spanish painting ended.

The creator lived in the world for almost 6 decades, and he spent 2/3 of his life as a court painter with Philip IV. This is undoubtedly an honorable and desirable position, however, it was partly detrimental to his talent. This is due to the strict regulations that the royal court presented to him. However, this did not stop Diego Velasquez from creating paintings in his unique, pictorial manner.

Incomparable portrait painter

From numerous portraits of the royal couple or the nobility, real, living people look at the audience. The painter often revealed secrets that the people depicted in his paintings would like to hide. He involves the viewer in their experiences, revealing the versatility of their anxieties and worries, as well as the complexities that are in the souls of the strongest and greatest people in the world.

Carier start

Diego Rodriguez de Silva Velasquez was born in June 1599 in Seville. He was from a family of Marans, that is, Jews who converted to Christianity. Diego was the eldest among eight children in his family. The boy was able to discover his talent for painting at a very early age, and at the age of ten he was sent to study first with the famous artist Francisco Herrera the Elder. After he went to study with Francisco Pacheco. Upon reaching the age of 18, Diego Velazquez passed the exam for the title of master, and became a proud member of the guild of painters in Seville. In his early period, the master drew inspiration from the life and life of ordinary people who surrounded him. Sketches of the everyday life of the inhabitants of Seville, the artist diligently wrote out, adhering to the special realism that he tried to emphasize in Caravaggio.

Prestigious Promotion

The portrait of the famous poet Luis de Gongora y Argote, who was an ardent competitor and rival of Lope de Vega, helped the artist Diego Velasquez to get a prestigious position as a painter at the court of the King of Spain. The monarch liked the work so much that he decided to order his own portrait from the painter. The finished picture impressed him so much that he promised that no one except Diego Velasquez would paint it this way again. So, since 1623, he won the exclusive right to paint pictures about the entire royal family, glorifying the Great Habsburg dynasty on his canvases.

demise

Diego Velazquez died in August 1660. After himself, he left a huge creative legacy, from which various generations of artists, related to both romanticism and impressionism, took inspiration. Of course, the biography of Diego Velasquez is interesting and exciting, but nothing compares to his work.

Portrait of Pope Innocent X (painted in 1650)

The painting is located on the territory of Rome, in the Doria Pamphilj gallery. Many experts call this work one of the best realistic portraits. Pope Innocent X is depicted in his stately pompous attire, he sits richly in his decorated chair. Nevertheless, this is not a classic formal portrait, the artist Diego Velazquez decided to convey on his canvas the deep inner world of the pontiff. Only twice did he meet Innocent X live. This was during his visit to the Eternal City in 1650. The emotions from both meetings influenced him so much that he was able to unsurpassedly transfer these feelings in the portrait.

Innocent X was famous for his duplicity and greed. Looking at the canvas, we see the unkind look of an insidious and really tough person. Nevertheless, in the cold light of his eyes one can read depression: we understand that the pontiff is very puzzled by something. That's exactly how Velazquez introduced himself to the devil once dad. He witnessed the personal experiences of such an outstanding personality, which the pontiff could not hide from outsiders. There is no doubt that this is an extremely intelligent and quick-witted person. Innocent X, seeing his portrait, enthusiastically exclaimed: “Too truthful!” For this portrait, the artist received as a reward a chest chain with the image of the pope in the medallion. The fame of such a talented and unsurpassed Spanish painter immediately swept through all of Italy, which immediately began to appear numerous imitators.

"Venus with a Mirror"

Diego Velázquez's painting "Venus with a Mirror" is now kept on the territory of the National Gallery in London and is the last surviving canvas of a naked woman, which was painted by the artist. The exact date of the painting, when it was painted, cannot be determined. The artist worked on it in Italy, because in Spain it was strictly forbidden to draw a naked body by the laws of the Inquisition.

The subject was chosen by Diego because of the influence of the Venetians who belonged to the Renaissance: Titian and Giorgione. Unlike the Italians, the Spaniard's brush depicted Venus chastely, from the back. The depth of the picture is also emphasized by the frame of the mirror, in which the unsurpassed Venus looks. According to art historians, the very first frame for the picture was also black, which played into perspective. Venus Velazquez is less related to something divine. Most of all, this is a hymn about the beauty of a woman, her sensual love.

Portrait of Margarita

Diego Velazquez, being a court servant of the Spanish crown, often painted members of the royal family on his canvases. This was not only very popular, but also helped to emphasize the power and outstanding nobility of the ruling dynasty. One of the great examples of such works is Diego Velazquez's painting "Margarita", written in 1655. This portrait is an important event in the artist's work, it can be safely attributed to the mature period of his art. At this time, Velazquez painted a large number of portraits of the daughter of King Philip IV, who later became Empress of the Roman Empire.

In the picture we see a little girl dressed in formal attire. She has a cold and haughty look, as a representative of such a great dynasty should have. The posture also reflects in the girl a direct belonging to the royal family.

Nevertheless, despite all the stiffness and static character of the figure, the artist managed to convey the details of the face with the slightest detail: the softness of the lines, the gold of her hair, the gentle, slightly plump lips. This helps to give the portrait a certain warmth and childish tenderness, which contrasts strongly with the external strict appearance.

If you want to see this magnificent portrait of Diego Velazquez with your own eyes, then you should go to the Louvre, one of the most famous and luxurious museums in not only Europe, but the whole world. The painting belongs to the Baroque style.

"Las Meninas"

This work by Diego Velázquez is on the premises of the Prado Museum in Madrid. The canvas depicts the artist's studio on the territory of the Royal Palace in Madrid. Now such an environment could be called "backstage".

The painting depicts a painter working on a portrait of a king and queen. They can be seen in the mirror in the background. It is worth noting that this is the only painting by Diego where the crowned couple is depicted together. The girl in the center of the picture is the only daughter of the royal family at that time - five-year-old Margarita. In the guise of a girl, Velazquez tries to embody all the fortune, wealth and grace that the family possessed. The Infanta is depicted with a calmness unusual for her young age. She does not betray the joy that she feels from being with her parents, on her face we cannot see the interest that a child would certainly have at the sight of an unusual situation inside the artist's studio. It becomes obvious that the crown princess has learned well: restraint is considered the main virtue in her family. It is worth noting that King Philip IV laughed in public only twice, having lived for a long 60 years.

The canvas is called "Menin". That was the name of the ladies-in-waiting, who served the princess from a very early age. On the stage depicted by Velazquez, we can notice two ladies-in-waiting. These are real girls, whose names, fortunately, managed to be saved. The lady who gives the young princess a jug in a deep curtsy is Doña Maria Sarmiento. Behind the baby is Doña Iabella de Velasco.

On the spacious canvas there was a place for court dwarfs - these are Maria Barbole and Nicholas Petrusato. These people are depicted in a compositional group along with dogs. Thus, the artist reminds of their status. Many people who were distinguished by physical deformity were regarded at court as utensils. They helped entertain the nobility, made them feel more attractive and confident. Nevertheless, it is obvious to the viewer that the artist treated the dwarfs with considerable respect. Maria Barbola and the Infanta are on the same parallel, their images intersect. Of course, one is attractive and young, and the second can cause a shudder. However, each of them is distinguished by intelligent facial features, this is the special tragedy of the canvas.

We should also pay attention to the self-portrait of Velasquez. He portrays himself as busy with work. He holds a brush with a palette in his hands and is dressed in a black suit. On his chest is the majestic cross of the Great Military Order of the Sword of St. James of Compostela. Las Meninas was written in 1656, however, Diego became a member of the order only 3 years later. The cross was added later. According to legend, the king wrote it with his own hand.

"Lady with a Fan"

In addition to the paintings presented, we also invite you to enjoy the majestic work of Diego Velazquez "Lady with a Fan". It was painted in 1640 and depicts an attractive and interesting Spanish woman. Her national features are exquisitely emphasized: small stature, slender figure, graceful movements.

Diego Velazquez 1599-1660

Born in Seville in 1599, in a poor noble family, whose ancestors were Portuguese Jews. He studied painting in his native city, first with Francisco Herrera the Elder, and from 1611 with Francisco Pacheco, a humanist, poet, author of a treatise on painting. Velasquez comprehended drawing, painting techniques, work from nature. In 1617, Diego received the title of master and soon opened his own workshop. In 1618, the young artist married the daughter of his teacher, Juana Miranda Pacheco. In the next few years they had two daughters, one of whom died in infancy.
Most of Velasquez's works, created during and immediately after his studies, are devoted to the depiction of everyday scenes (in the "bodegones" genre, when the scene is a tavern or a tavern), the main characters of which are the ordinary people of Seville ("Breakfast", "Old Cook", "Water Carrier"). In paintings on religious themes, the traditions of the bodegones are also traced: “The Adoration of the Magi”, “Christ at Martha and Mary”. During these years, the artist paints the first portraits, which define the features of Velazquez as a portrait painter - a sharply grasped similarity, the brightness of revealing individuality: "Portrait of the nun Jerónima de la Fuente."

"Breakfast" 1617

"Christ in the House of Martha and Mary" 1618

"Immaculate Conception" 1618

"Old woman frying scrambled eggs (Cook)" 1618

"Adoration of the Magi" 1619

"Portrait of the nun Geronima de la Fuente" 1620

"Mother Jeronima de la Fuente" fragment

"Miracle at Emmaus" 1620

In 1622, he went to Madrid for the first time, and the following year, with the assistance of the first minister, the Duke de Olivares, he managed to get an order for a portrait of the king.

"First Minister Duke de Olivares"

"Philip IV" 1624-26

"Portrait of Philip IV with a petition" made a splash, and the author became a court painter, and soon a chamberlain, received a workshop in the palace, and was appointed curator of the royal collections. Velazquez completed a number of official orders: ceremonial portraits of the king, members of his family, representatives of the nobility. In addition, he created a gallery of images of Spanish cultural figures: Lope de Vega, Tirso de Molina, Calderon, Quevedo.

"Water seller in Seville" 1623

"Philip IV on the hunt" 1632-1633

In 1627, in competition with other artists, he painted the painting "The Expulsion of the Moors" and received the title of chamberlain. In 1629, the artist completes a painting, unusual for the Spanish tradition, based on an antique story - “Bacchus”, or “Drunkens”, which is interpreted as a scene from folk life, a feast of cheerful peasants. Acquaintance and communication with Rubens, who visited the Spanish court in 1628-1629. with a diplomatic mission, inspired him to travel to Italy, where in 1629-1631. Velazquez studied and copied the works of Titian, Veronese, Tintoretto, Raphael, Michelangelo, and ancient monuments. At the same time, his style has changed - it has become more free and brilliant, the color is less dark in the shadows and conveys nature in bright light. Turning again to the mythological theme in The Forge of Vulcan, Velasquez gives the image a genre character.
The portraits created by Velazquez upon his return, in 1630-1640, brought him fame as a master of this genre. Dispassionately cold ceremonial equestrian portraits of royal persons are distinguished by the restrained magnificence of poses, clothes, horses, and the grandeur of landscape backgrounds. In the portraits of courtiers, friends, students, Velazquez accumulated and synthesized his observations, selected the necessary visual means. These canvases usually lack accessories, gestures, and movement. The neutral background has depth and airiness; the dark tones of the robes direct the viewer's attention to evenly lit faces. The unique combinations of shades of silver-gray, olive, gray-brown, found for each portrait, with a general restraint of the range, create an individual structure of images (portraits of Juan Mateos, Duke of Olivares, “Lady with a Fan”, a series of portraits of the Infante). A special place is occupied by portraits of royal jesters, the mentally ill and dwarfs. Images of dwarfs amaze with energy, intelligence, looks full of inner strength, sorrow, which contrasts with their physical weakness (“El Bobo del Coria”, “El Primo”, “Sebastiano del Morra”). In the paired paintings "Menippus" and "Aesop" appear images of people who have fallen and rejected by society, but who have gained inner freedom from the conventions that bind the personality.
One of the most significant paintings of this period was The Surrender of Breda (1634-1635), in which Velázquez abandoned the traditional conventions of historical canvases of that era. Each of the warring parties is characterized with deep humanity. Drama is revealed through the psychological characteristics of the characters, shown with portrait authenticity.

"Surrender of Breda" 1635

In 1642–1644 Velasquez accompanied the king on his campaign against Aragon, and in the late 1640s. again visited Italy with the aim of acquiring works of art for the king. The artist was greeted with honor, the portrait of his servant and student, the mulatto Juan Pareja, was enthusiastically received in Roman artistic circles. In 1650, Velazquez was elected a member of the Roman Academy of St.. Bows and societies of virtuosos of the Pantheon. The portrait of Pope Innocent X, an unusually bold image in frankness, became the most famous creation of Velazquez outside of Spain. The Pope in ceremonial attire appears before the audience as a man of bright temperament, intelligent, powerful, energetic, but also cunning and cruel. Velazquez also turns to the landscape and creates two small views, which depict the corners of the park of the Medici villa. Probably, already on his return, the masterpiece "Venus with a Mirror" (1657) was created. The theme is inspired by Italian impressions; in Spain, the image of a naked female body was prohibited by the Inquisition. Velasquez shows the beauty of a living woman, flexible, full of grace, bringing the divine image closer to the earthly one.
In 1651, Velasquez returned to Madrid, and in 1652 he was appointed royal chief marshal. The new position took a lot of effort and time (the duties included the preparation and organization of festivities at court). Portraits of the late period of Velázquez's work are to a large extent characterized by artistry and psychological completeness (Infanta Maria Teresa, 1651; Philip IV, 1655-1656; Infanta Margaret of Austria, around 1660).
In the second half of the 1650s. Velasquez painted two of his most famous paintings. In Meninas, the main character is the five-year-old Infanta Margarita, frozen in the prim pose of a noble lady. The artist conveys her soft, childish features. The royal couple is looking at her, posing for the artist (in which Velasquez depicted himself, and left the monarchs outside the canvas - only as a reflection in the mirror). Numerous ladies-in-waiting are next to the infanta. Velázquez shows the courtiers in an everyday setting, exalting everyday life, presenting it in a raised and monumental way. The picture is built on the interweaving of official and everyday life, on a multifaceted play of semantic shades and figurative comparisons. "Spinners" - an image of a workshop where carpets were restored and woven to decorate the palace halls. In the background, three ladies are examining tapestries, one of which depicts the myth of Arachne. In the foreground are several workers. This is the first work in the history of European art that glorifies the activities of the common man.
In 1660, Velázquez accompanied Philip IV on his trip to the French border to meet Louis XIV on the occasion of the latter's marriage to Infanta Maria Theresa. The organization of the festivities that accompanied this meeting tired the artist so much that he fell ill and died shortly after his return to Madrid. The immediate heir to his position at court was his student and husband of his daughter Francisco, Juan Batista del Maso.
Velazquez had a great influence on the painting of his homeland, among his students were such masters as Murillo and Kappeño de Miranda. Goya called Velazquez one of his teachers. In the 19th century the fame of the master went beyond the borders of Spain. Velázquez is one of the key figures in the development of Manet's art, who was fascinated by the art of the stroke of the great Spaniard. The themes of Velasquez's paintings were developed in their work by Pablo Picasso and Salvador Dali.

"Equestrian portrait of Prince Balthazar"