Las Meninas
Introduction
The name of the artwork is called “Las Meninas”, which is Spanish for “The Ladies-in-Waiting”, “Las Meninas” was made in 1656, in Museo del Prado Madrid, by a Spanish painter named Diego Velázquez.
I have chosen to look at this artwork as the painting really intrigued me and the elements of the paintings were shocking. This painting is relevant to the subtopic that the Grade 10 students are learning now, which is symbolism. The layers of meaning inside the painting of “Las Meninas” have to be looked in depth and we need to create connections towards the contextual situation of that time period to see the symbolism in the painting
Visual
When I looked at the painting for the first time, it left a sense of confusion as there was so many elements going on in the painting, but I was starstruck looking at the amount of detail in the picture. The way he painted the dresses of the different girls, the fur of the dog, the position of the mirror even. The first word, or sentence that came into my head was “What is going on?”. As I mentioned before, there were so many elements in the picture such as the girls, the man standing at the stairs, the painter. Then on, I realised that the painter was the painter of the painting himself, which led me into thinking if it were a “paint-ception”. I think the little girls in the middle of the painting really caught my attention. The girls seemed too “perfect”, which made me speculate if they were dolls. They stood out as well as they contrasted with the solemn and dull atmosphere of the overall painting, making them shine.
Emotional
This painting left me awestruck, but the painting was overall quite creepy in a sense. It seemed fixed and the way the little girls were positioned was is as if they were looking at us viewers and the way the man at the staircase stopped and stared made it as if we were either important or if we were a criminal.
Memory/ Experience
This reminded me of a royal family due to the dresses of the little girls and that the dog seemed luxurious. I felt that these type of paintings could be seen in royal museums like “The Louvre” as it houses such historic and impactful paintings such as the “Mona Lisa”
The Artist
Diego Velázquez was born in 1566 and died on August 6, 1660. At the age of eleven, Velázquez was apprenticed to Francisco Pacheco, who was Seville's most significant artist and art theorist. From Pacheco, Velázquez learned the technical skills of drawing and painting, still-life and portraiture and soon surpassed Pacheco. During his early years in Seville, he produced traditional religious artworks.
In 1623, thanks to Pacheco's connections, Velázquez was asked to paint a portrait of young King Philip IV, the King of Spain at that time. King Philip IV was so pleased with his artwork, he appointed Velázquez as one of his court painters. Due to his move to royal court, he gained permission to visit Italy himself and study Italian painting, where many of his artworks were influenced by. He then sought out new painting to buy on behalf of the King.
He also moved up his rank in the royal household and was appointed Assistant to the Wardrobe. In 1643 Velázquez was promoted again, to Gentleman of the Bedchamber. He was also made superintendent of the palace works. In 1647 he was put in charge of a project to modernise the old Alcázar palace.
Background
Velàzquez was one of his court painters, and King Philip IV would only allow Velázquez to paint him. Many of his artworks are of the royal family as he worked in the royal household for 33 years. In the early 1650’s, he gave Velázquez the main room of the late Balthasar Charles's, by then serving as the palace museum, to use as his studio. It is here that "Las Meninas" is set.
This painting was made during the Golden Age and it has elements of the pigments of the Baroque period. The main pigments of the art piece for this painting were lead white, azurite, which was seen in skirt of the kneeling girl, vermilion and red lake, ochres and carbon blacks.
Associations & Influences
This artist was associated with the Golden Age period ; Velázquez was even named as the leading artist of the Golden Age. Velázquez was inspired by the Baroque period. The Baroque period is the art period and the style when exaggerated motions in order to produce drama and tension in media forms. As mentioned before, the painting has pigments from this era such as in the dresses and the building.
Ideas & Intentions + Formal Elements
As Velázquez associates his painting with royal life, he shows that he is now of higher rank and that “this” was Velázquez life and career, that he is the court painter for royals. Velázquez even adds his only official portrait in this painting, being present in the same place as the Queen and King, their daughter, Infanta Margarita, her ladies-in-waiting, and royal advisors. This further enforces the fact that he is of or present with royalty. Furthermore, American Welsh author, Jon Manchip White, further commented on how this painting was to express that visual art (painting) was more than for crafts, but can also be a part of the sophisticate liberal arts. He was claiming that not only he himself has high status, but visual art as well.
Also, if we first look at the painting, Infanta Margarita would seem as the main focus of this painting. By having Infanta Margarita as the focus, he reinforces the fact that he affiliates himself with the royals. Furthermore, the mirror next to Velázquez reflects two figures, which seems to be the King and Queen of Spain, bring this idea of Velázquez being of high status Moreover, it was said that the set of the painting was Velázquez’s room, which then seem as if the royal family has dropped in to see him painting. This brings the idea of visual art being of high status as well, seeing as the royal family was interested in his paintings for them to come in his studio.
There are many elements in this painting. There are at least eleven elements of this painting, first, being the main focus of the painting, Infanta Margarita, two of her ladies-in-waiting, two dwarves, with one kicking a greyhound, which is the sixth element. The seventh and eighth element are two figures which seem to be one woman and one man, who is identified as a royal chaperone and a bodyguard respectively. At the deep end, the ninth element, a man stopping himself at the stairs and staring inside the room, or even symbolically, the audience. The tenth element is Velázquez himself and last, but certainly not least, is the King and Queen of Spain being reflected by the mirror. From this alone, the audience is able to see the amount of intricate detail in this particular painting.
It could be said that Velázquez’s painting can be split by using gridlines, of quarters horizontally, and sevenths vertically. If the audience use the gridlines, they are able to see that there is no empty space, except for the ceiling. This gives a sense of crowdedness and a feeling of tension, as there is no space which brings about a feeling of uneasiness.
The atmosphere of the room as well proposes the idea of uneasiness as the room’s colour is dull and grim. Furthermore, Velázquez uses pigments of the Baroque period. As mentioned before, The Baroque period is the art period and the style when exaggerated motions in order to produce drama and tension in media forms. The pigments such as azurite, could be seen in the dresses of the ladies-in-waiting. So, by relating this piece with the idea of the period of time, Velázquez wanted to bring about tension through the painting.
However, Velázquez main focus of interest quite contrasts the previous idea. Infanta Margarita’s position is positioned perfectly, too perfectly even. Velázquez ordered the other figures in the foreground along an X shape with Infanta Margarita in the center, which emphasizes her importance and making her the focal point of the painting. Velázquez also uses light and shadow to further emphasize Infanta Margarita as the main role. The direction of light illuminates Infanta Margarita’s figure, which brings about her beauty and overall aura of the princess. Moreover, the colour of her dress, which was seen as pure white due to the direction of light that Velázquez has set, stands out amongst the over colour of the setting, which was brown and the intense colour of vermilion and red lake. Her lightened presence contrasts the tension set in the room, as if she was Heaven in Hell. This could have a symbolic meaning through looking at the historical context of the royal family. It was said that King Phillip IV, Elizabeth of France, died in 1644; and their only son, Balthasar Charles, died two years later. King Philip then married Mariana of Austria in 1649, and Infanta Margarita was their first child, and their only one at the time of the painting. The painting then highlights Margarita’s existence.
In relation to the way Velázquez painted this painting, he presents the idea of realism vs illusion, which was the a main concerns of Spanish culture in the 17th century. From a distance, "Las Meninas" gives the impression of being remarkably realistic, and the composition itself is often described as if it were a photograph and not as if Velázquez painted it himself, due to the incredible amount of detail that has been put. However, from close up, it is almost impossible to distinguish shapes or contours: the picture surface becomes a dazzling and shimmering display, with hastily applied highlights to suggest reflection of light on water. Through this, Velázquez manages to create this realism out of the most unrestrained and abstract of brushwork.
I think, as an audience, he conveys his ideas very successfully, however, it takes a lot of in-depth analysis to figure the layers and layers of meaning in the painting.
Blibliography :
Diego Velázquez. (n.d.). Retrieved November 1, 2016, from Wikipedia website:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diego_Vel%C3%A1zquez
Diego Velázquez. (n.d.). Retrieved November 1, 2016, from The National Gallery
website: https://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/artists/diego-velazquez
Diego Velázquez and his paintings. (n.d.). Retrieved November 1, 2016, from
http://www.diego-velazquez.org/
Konstantinidis, G. (2012). Velazquez - Las Meninas: The Surprise! Retrieved
November 1, 2016, from http://www.velazquezlasmeninas.com/
velazquez-las-meninas-the-surprise.html
Las Meninas. (n.d.). Retrieved November 1, 2016, from Wikipedia website:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Las_Meninas
Las Meninas Analysis. (n.d.). Retrieved November 1, 2016, from Artble website:
http://www.artble.com/artists/diego_velazquez/paintings/las_meninas/
more_information/analysis
The name of the artwork is called “Las Meninas”, which is Spanish for “The Ladies-in-Waiting”, “Las Meninas” was made in 1656, in Museo del Prado Madrid, by a Spanish painter named Diego Velázquez.
I have chosen to look at this artwork as the painting really intrigued me and the elements of the paintings were shocking. This painting is relevant to the subtopic that the Grade 10 students are learning now, which is symbolism. The layers of meaning inside the painting of “Las Meninas” have to be looked in depth and we need to create connections towards the contextual situation of that time period to see the symbolism in the painting
Visual
When I looked at the painting for the first time, it left a sense of confusion as there was so many elements going on in the painting, but I was starstruck looking at the amount of detail in the picture. The way he painted the dresses of the different girls, the fur of the dog, the position of the mirror even. The first word, or sentence that came into my head was “What is going on?”. As I mentioned before, there were so many elements in the picture such as the girls, the man standing at the stairs, the painter. Then on, I realised that the painter was the painter of the painting himself, which led me into thinking if it were a “paint-ception”. I think the little girls in the middle of the painting really caught my attention. The girls seemed too “perfect”, which made me speculate if they were dolls. They stood out as well as they contrasted with the solemn and dull atmosphere of the overall painting, making them shine.
Emotional
This painting left me awestruck, but the painting was overall quite creepy in a sense. It seemed fixed and the way the little girls were positioned was is as if they were looking at us viewers and the way the man at the staircase stopped and stared made it as if we were either important or if we were a criminal.
Memory/ Experience
This reminded me of a royal family due to the dresses of the little girls and that the dog seemed luxurious. I felt that these type of paintings could be seen in royal museums like “The Louvre” as it houses such historic and impactful paintings such as the “Mona Lisa”
The Artist
Diego Velázquez was born in 1566 and died on August 6, 1660. At the age of eleven, Velázquez was apprenticed to Francisco Pacheco, who was Seville's most significant artist and art theorist. From Pacheco, Velázquez learned the technical skills of drawing and painting, still-life and portraiture and soon surpassed Pacheco. During his early years in Seville, he produced traditional religious artworks.
In 1623, thanks to Pacheco's connections, Velázquez was asked to paint a portrait of young King Philip IV, the King of Spain at that time. King Philip IV was so pleased with his artwork, he appointed Velázquez as one of his court painters. Due to his move to royal court, he gained permission to visit Italy himself and study Italian painting, where many of his artworks were influenced by. He then sought out new painting to buy on behalf of the King.
He also moved up his rank in the royal household and was appointed Assistant to the Wardrobe. In 1643 Velázquez was promoted again, to Gentleman of the Bedchamber. He was also made superintendent of the palace works. In 1647 he was put in charge of a project to modernise the old Alcázar palace.
Background
Velàzquez was one of his court painters, and King Philip IV would only allow Velázquez to paint him. Many of his artworks are of the royal family as he worked in the royal household for 33 years. In the early 1650’s, he gave Velázquez the main room of the late Balthasar Charles's, by then serving as the palace museum, to use as his studio. It is here that "Las Meninas" is set.
This painting was made during the Golden Age and it has elements of the pigments of the Baroque period. The main pigments of the art piece for this painting were lead white, azurite, which was seen in skirt of the kneeling girl, vermilion and red lake, ochres and carbon blacks.
Associations & Influences
This artist was associated with the Golden Age period ; Velázquez was even named as the leading artist of the Golden Age. Velázquez was inspired by the Baroque period. The Baroque period is the art period and the style when exaggerated motions in order to produce drama and tension in media forms. As mentioned before, the painting has pigments from this era such as in the dresses and the building.
Ideas & Intentions + Formal Elements
As Velázquez associates his painting with royal life, he shows that he is now of higher rank and that “this” was Velázquez life and career, that he is the court painter for royals. Velázquez even adds his only official portrait in this painting, being present in the same place as the Queen and King, their daughter, Infanta Margarita, her ladies-in-waiting, and royal advisors. This further enforces the fact that he is of or present with royalty. Furthermore, American Welsh author, Jon Manchip White, further commented on how this painting was to express that visual art (painting) was more than for crafts, but can also be a part of the sophisticate liberal arts. He was claiming that not only he himself has high status, but visual art as well.
Also, if we first look at the painting, Infanta Margarita would seem as the main focus of this painting. By having Infanta Margarita as the focus, he reinforces the fact that he affiliates himself with the royals. Furthermore, the mirror next to Velázquez reflects two figures, which seems to be the King and Queen of Spain, bring this idea of Velázquez being of high status Moreover, it was said that the set of the painting was Velázquez’s room, which then seem as if the royal family has dropped in to see him painting. This brings the idea of visual art being of high status as well, seeing as the royal family was interested in his paintings for them to come in his studio.
There are many elements in this painting. There are at least eleven elements of this painting, first, being the main focus of the painting, Infanta Margarita, two of her ladies-in-waiting, two dwarves, with one kicking a greyhound, which is the sixth element. The seventh and eighth element are two figures which seem to be one woman and one man, who is identified as a royal chaperone and a bodyguard respectively. At the deep end, the ninth element, a man stopping himself at the stairs and staring inside the room, or even symbolically, the audience. The tenth element is Velázquez himself and last, but certainly not least, is the King and Queen of Spain being reflected by the mirror. From this alone, the audience is able to see the amount of intricate detail in this particular painting.
It could be said that Velázquez’s painting can be split by using gridlines, of quarters horizontally, and sevenths vertically. If the audience use the gridlines, they are able to see that there is no empty space, except for the ceiling. This gives a sense of crowdedness and a feeling of tension, as there is no space which brings about a feeling of uneasiness.
The atmosphere of the room as well proposes the idea of uneasiness as the room’s colour is dull and grim. Furthermore, Velázquez uses pigments of the Baroque period. As mentioned before, The Baroque period is the art period and the style when exaggerated motions in order to produce drama and tension in media forms. The pigments such as azurite, could be seen in the dresses of the ladies-in-waiting. So, by relating this piece with the idea of the period of time, Velázquez wanted to bring about tension through the painting.
However, Velázquez main focus of interest quite contrasts the previous idea. Infanta Margarita’s position is positioned perfectly, too perfectly even. Velázquez ordered the other figures in the foreground along an X shape with Infanta Margarita in the center, which emphasizes her importance and making her the focal point of the painting. Velázquez also uses light and shadow to further emphasize Infanta Margarita as the main role. The direction of light illuminates Infanta Margarita’s figure, which brings about her beauty and overall aura of the princess. Moreover, the colour of her dress, which was seen as pure white due to the direction of light that Velázquez has set, stands out amongst the over colour of the setting, which was brown and the intense colour of vermilion and red lake. Her lightened presence contrasts the tension set in the room, as if she was Heaven in Hell. This could have a symbolic meaning through looking at the historical context of the royal family. It was said that King Phillip IV, Elizabeth of France, died in 1644; and their only son, Balthasar Charles, died two years later. King Philip then married Mariana of Austria in 1649, and Infanta Margarita was their first child, and their only one at the time of the painting. The painting then highlights Margarita’s existence.
In relation to the way Velázquez painted this painting, he presents the idea of realism vs illusion, which was the a main concerns of Spanish culture in the 17th century. From a distance, "Las Meninas" gives the impression of being remarkably realistic, and the composition itself is often described as if it were a photograph and not as if Velázquez painted it himself, due to the incredible amount of detail that has been put. However, from close up, it is almost impossible to distinguish shapes or contours: the picture surface becomes a dazzling and shimmering display, with hastily applied highlights to suggest reflection of light on water. Through this, Velázquez manages to create this realism out of the most unrestrained and abstract of brushwork.
I think, as an audience, he conveys his ideas very successfully, however, it takes a lot of in-depth analysis to figure the layers and layers of meaning in the painting.
Blibliography :
Diego Velázquez. (n.d.). Retrieved November 1, 2016, from Wikipedia website:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diego_Vel%C3%A1zquez
Diego Velázquez. (n.d.). Retrieved November 1, 2016, from The National Gallery
website: https://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/artists/diego-velazquez
Diego Velázquez and his paintings. (n.d.). Retrieved November 1, 2016, from
http://www.diego-velazquez.org/
Konstantinidis, G. (2012). Velazquez - Las Meninas: The Surprise! Retrieved
November 1, 2016, from http://www.velazquezlasmeninas.com/
velazquez-las-meninas-the-surprise.html
Las Meninas. (n.d.). Retrieved November 1, 2016, from Wikipedia website:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Las_Meninas
Las Meninas Analysis. (n.d.). Retrieved November 1, 2016, from Artble website:
http://www.artble.com/artists/diego_velazquez/paintings/las_meninas/
more_information/analysis