Diego Velázquez
Birth Year : 1599
Death Year : 1660
Country : Spain
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This is my favorite of all of his paintings. It is a 'King's eye'
view of Velázquez and the King's family. The King and
Queen are seen entering the room in the mirror in
the center of the painting.
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Diego Velázquez, born in Seville, was of Portuguese descent. He may have studied with Herrara, the elder, but it is certain that he spent six years in Seville in the studio of a painter named Pacheco whose daughter he married in 1618. Until 1623, when he went to Madrid and became painter to the king, Velazquez's work was Baroque in style, with heavy pigment and sharp contrasts that suited the tavern scenes and still lifes he painted. As court painter, however, he was principally a portraitist; and his style changed entirely, becoming lighter, clearer, and shallower in composition. After a trip to Italy in 1629, Velázquez, who had copied Renaissance paintings, abandoned Classicism entirely and began to use silvery tones and a wider range of color, painting in a manner that was not to be equaled in atmosphere, dramatic composition, use of light, and optical effects until the 19th century Impressionists. The interrelation of light, air, and color gives poetry to his portraits, which are otherwise quite impersonal in their presentation of the subjects, who seem alive upon the canvas entirely because of the artist's skill and accurate eye.
Velázquez went to Italy again from 1649-1651 to collect the works of the old masters for the king. During this time, he did a magnificent portrait of Pope Innocent X. Upon his return to Madrid, Velázquez was made a Knight of the Order of Santiago and appointed Grand Marshall of the Palace. The artist had to devote much of his time to his royal duties and catering to the royal whims; overburdened by his courtly duties, he died of a fever in 1660. A master of the art of painting, Velázquez handled composition, color, light and space to perfection and was masterful at painting historical scenes, still lifes, interiors, and portraits of noblemen or peasants. His influence extended to such artists as Goya, Courbet, Manet, Eakins, and the Impressionists., His influence is still being felt today.