Baroque Naturalism in Spain
BAROQUE NATURALISM IN SPAIN: VELAZQUEZ
The greatest master of Spanish painting and one of the greatest painters of the Baroque was Diego Velazquez. Inspired by the simple, realistic paintings of Caravaggio, his approach to art would fly in the face of the flamboyant trends in his day and go even further in the direction of “naturalism.” Surprisingly, when he was twenty-four, the honest realist was appointed the court painter to the king. More surprisingly, Velazquez succeeded in his new role without changing his approach. Even though he never flattered the royal family, he was made a court chamberlain and given the rate honor of a home attached to the place with its own studio. For thirty years he painted King Philip IV, his family and member of the court.
Las Meninas (13-16) is Velazquez’s great masterpiece, a huge work, 101/2 x 9, feet tall. It demonstrates a mastery of realism that has seldom been surpassed. Here he shows a moment in the life of the court. As Velazquez himself is an important member of that court, he shows himself painting a picture. But what is he painting? There are two possible answers. It is a portrait of the princess, who is in the center of the picture (and therefore the painting we are looking at), or it is the king and queen, whose reflections we can see in the mirror at the back of the room. In either case, it is a life-size portrait of the royal family and their attendants. At the center are the Infanta Margarita (detail, 13-17) with her maids of honor, a dog, a dwarf, and a midget. The Spanish royal family had a tradition of keeping dwarves and midgets around them, almost as toys, for entertainment. Velazquez always portrayed them with sympathy and respect, rather than as victims or clowns. Perhaps he felt that his situation was not so different from their own. In the background, a court official pauses to glance back through the doorway. Notice how the painter honors the viewer by giving us the same viewpoint as the king
The greatest master of Spanish painting and one of the greatest painters of the Baroque was Diego Velazquez. Inspired by the simple, realistic paintings of Caravaggio, his approach to art would fly in the face of the flamboyant trends in his day and go even further in the direction of “naturalism.” Surprisingly, when he was twenty-four, the honest realist was appointed the court painter to the king. More surprisingly, Velazquez succeeded in his new role without changing his approach. Even though he never flattered the royal family, he was made a court chamberlain and given the rate honor of a home attached to the place with its own studio. For thirty years he painted King Philip IV, his family and member of the court.
Las Meninas (13-16) is Velazquez’s great masterpiece, a huge work, 101/2 x 9, feet tall. It demonstrates a mastery of realism that has seldom been surpassed. Here he shows a moment in the life of the court. As Velazquez himself is an important member of that court, he shows himself painting a picture. But what is he painting? There are two possible answers. It is a portrait of the princess, who is in the center of the picture (and therefore the painting we are looking at), or it is the king and queen, whose reflections we can see in the mirror at the back of the room. In either case, it is a life-size portrait of the royal family and their attendants. At the center are the Infanta Margarita (detail, 13-17) with her maids of honor, a dog, a dwarf, and a midget. The Spanish royal family had a tradition of keeping dwarves and midgets around them, almost as toys, for entertainment. Velazquez always portrayed them with sympathy and respect, rather than as victims or clowns. Perhaps he felt that his situation was not so different from their own. In the background, a court official pauses to glance back through the doorway. Notice how the painter honors the viewer by giving us the same viewpoint as the king