Diego Velázquez
Diego Rodriguez de Silva Velázquez is one of the touchstones of Baroque painting. Born in 1599, Velázquez was apprenticed to Francisco Herrera the Elder and was trained by Francisco Pacheco, whose daughter he married. In 1623, Velázquez painted a portrait of Philip IV in Madrid. The work’s successful reception led Philip to name Velázquez the court painter. In addition to painting portraits and religious scenes, Velázquez’s duties also included planning the royal household’s ceremonies, such as the wedding of the Infanta Maria Theresa to Louis XIV, and buying art for the court. Velázquez now had access to his own immersion in art history. In addition to purchasing works by Titian for the court, Velázquez’s developing work became deeply influenced by Titian. Velázquez’s style emphasized the hands and faces of his subjects cast in distinguishing darkness and light. The paintings have a sense of reality that one can almost reach out and touch. His most well known works include The Supper at Emmaus, The Spinners, The Surrender of Breda, The Needlewoman, a portrait of Pope Innocent X, a portrait of Infanta Maria Theresa, and Las Meninas (The Maids of Honor). Velázquez died from a fever in 1660, a few days after planning the Infanta Maria Theresa’s wedding. Earlier in his life, he wrote, “I would rather be the first painter of common things than second in higher art.” He certainly is a first among equals in portraits of the everyday and in paintings of the spiritual.
