The Famous Spanish Artist: Diego Velazquez

Diego Velazquez is considered by many to be Spain's greatest painter of oil on canvas art, was an individualistic artist during the baroque period and the Spanish Golden Age at the court of King Philip IV. He excelled as a portrait artist as well as a painter of numerous scenes of historic and cultural significance. His magnum opus and one of the most important works in the history of Western art, "Las Meninas" (1656), is an indication of his scientific observation, clinical precision and brilliant portraiture.



Born in Seville, Andalusia, Spain on June 6, 1599 of Jewish converso lineage, Velazquez displayed an early creativity for art. At the age of 12, he enrolled for apprenticeship under another artist and teacher in Seville, Francisco Pacheco. With Pacheco, who was known for his direct realism that was in contrast to the tradition of Raphael, Velazquez sharpened his early artistic skills including his sense of proportion and perspective. In 1618 Velaz quez married Pacheco's daughter, Juana Pacheco who bore him two daughters, one of whom died in infancy.



The early period of the artist produced artworks on canvas of biblical subjects that display his pointed realism - "Adoracion de los Reyes" (1619, "The Adoration of the Magi"), and "JesГєs y los peregrinos de EmaГєs" (1626, "Christ and the Pilgrims of Emmaus"). Another important early work of Velazquez displaying his vivid realism is "Vieja friendo huevos" (1618, "An Old Woman Frying Eggs").



Through the influence of Don Juan de Fonseca, the king's chaplain who was from Seville, King Philip IV posed before Velazquez for a portrait on April 16, 1623. It was impressive enough for Velazquez to secure his job at the court at Madrid. Velazquez's royal position enabled him to work on countless oil paintings on canvas depicting court life, the most enduring and magnificent being "Las Meninas" (1656, The Maids of Honor), the most char acteristic example of European Baroque art. His other famous royal portraits include "Juan de Pareja" (1650), "Lady from Court" (1635) and "Portrait of Pablo de Valladolid" (1635). One of Velazquez's depictions of political events is "La rendiciГіn de Breda" (1634-1635, "The Surrender of Breda") depicting the Dutch transferring the key to the city of Breda to the Spanish army at the Siege of Breda.



Some of Velazquez's final canvases include portraits of royal children, most notably those of Infanta Margarita and Prince Felipe Prospero, and his only female nude that survives, the "Rokeby Venus" or "La Venus del espejo" (1644-1648, "Venus at her Mirror"). Diego Velazquez died on August 6, 1660 from a fever, and was buried in the Fuensalida vault at the church of San Juan Bautista.