jeudi 26 juin 2014

Paintings Of Velazquez

By Darren Hartley


Velazquez paintings are famous for their portraits, which rank among the finest in world art. Diego Velazquez was the greatest among all Spanish painters. Diego spent most of his life in Madrid where he was the favourite artist of King Philip IV, who let no other artist paint him.

Velazquez visited Italy twice. It was during these visits that he was able to include a portrait of Pope Innocent X among the Velazquez paintings. This was in 1650. The pope said the painting was so truthful in the vivid way the picture caught his character. He was truly impressed.

In 1618, Diego married Juana, the daughter of Francisco Pacheco, a local painter, with whom he spent a 6 year apprenticeship with. By 1621, the couple had two daughters. Through the connections his father in law had, Diego was able to move to Madrid in 1622. The Court-Duke of Olivares was one of the earliest sitters for the portraits that comprised the Velazquez paintings.

The move to the royal court gave Diego access to a vast collection of works. He came in contact with important artists including Peter Paul Rubens, a Flemish baroque master, who spent six months at the court in 1628. Among the notable Velazquez paintings of the period was The Triumph of Bacchus, portraying a group of revellers falling under the powerful spell of the Greek god of wine.

Upon rejoining the Madrid court after a second trip to Italy from 1649 to 1651, Velazquez paintings comprised of portraitures with a technique that was more assured than ever. It was in 1656 that Diego produced his most acclaimed work, Las Meninas.

Velazquez paintings are considered to be works of one of the great masters of Western art. He is considered as a strong influence by artists of the likes of Pablo Picasso and Salvador Dali. French impressionist, Edouard Manet described Diego as the painter of painters.




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