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Diego Velazquez made his painting career as a court painter. In his early years, he distinguished himself for his genra paintings. That was a type of painting theme that focused on the poor. Once he made a name for himself, some influential friends helped him become the court painter of Phillip IV. Above, we see Velazquez's earliest painting. It is simply a profile of a man. Usually, such profiles were painted with the sitter in a stoic expression. Velazquez choose to have his character with a surprised expression. Thus, this early portrait was full of both realism and emotion. It is interesting to note that his style bear semblance to Caravaggio's realism. Then again, almost all baroque artist drew "inspiration" from the infamous Caravaggio.  

This portrait is quite original. Here the sculptor is sculpting a person out of the background. This is pretty original for the Baroque time period. The face of the artist is realistic. One gets a good view of his character.

Some of Velazquez most infamous portraits, were his dwarf portraits. Like I said before, the courts were full of them. Velazquez did not try to hide their size. Heck, he always had his dwarfs sitting down to emphasize their small size. He did not ridicule them. Rather, he gave his dwarf a sense of dignity unknown to these men during that time period. In their paintings, he showed that there was more to the dwarfs than their small size. In this painting, Velazquez has his dwarf sitting on the saddle of a horse. This dwarf was famous for his childlike behavior. Thus, he had him in a pose that invoked the fidgety leg movements of children. His expression is also childlike and curious. His hand is playing with a folding of his attire. The scenery of this painting is like the outdoors. Overall, Don Francisco comes out like a very normal kind of guy, deserving respect. Let us not forget, the Don part of his name. This dwarf was a noble, deserving of respect. 

For being a buffoon, this guy is most certainly not hilarious looking. His dog horse is certainly amassing. This painting is from Velazquez later period. During this time, Velazquez started loosening his brush stroke. He used proto impressionism techniques on the clothing. Overall, it gave them that fancy shimmering look, without all the hard work of painting all the details. In the end, the eye took care of such minor annoyances.

The smallness of this dwarf is emphasized by the big book on his lap. However, his education is shown by the numerous books around him. Close to the foreground, we see an ink well and some parchments. This man is a writer. He is more than his small stature. His expression and rich clothing also demands respect.

 This next painting shows Don Sebastian. Like the other Dwarfs, he too is sitting down. The foreshortening, really makes him look short. However, his person is no laughing matter. He is looking intently at the viewer. His clenched fist shows that he is a man of action. If I remember correctly, Don Sebastien was an ambassador of sorts to the Court of King Phillip. As such, he was worthy of respect.

This is the final portrait. I think this guy was a moor or sorts. He was a very good friend of Velazquez. For this reason, the was featured in this painting. His face looks quite expressive and lovely.

Let us go back to the Diego Velazquez paintings. Above, we see the prince with a dwarf. Both the prince and the dwarf are wearing a dress. Well, dresses was the standardized attire for all little babies, both male and female. It facilitated dipper changers. Its cute how they have the little prince with a sword and baculo. It is an 100% serious portrait, showing the baby as the would be king. His attire also bears the semblance of a knight's armor. Its meant to show his war like nature (?).As for the dwarf, he is dressed like a queen. She has her scepter and an apple. They seem to be playing Kings and Queens in this little painting. It is a major wonder the logic behind giving a short playmate to the Prince. Then again, there were hardly any court children to play with in the palace. Plus, even at such a young age, the prince was being groomed into a king.

This painting is just like the one before. This time the dwarf was removed. Again, we see the kid in the same stately pose. The dress looks extremely rich. Its embroider with golden laces. The red is more for background purposes. It also stands for royal blood.

Well, I am not a big fan of fans. Heheheh... What I did like about this painting was the eyes of the maiden. Only one is looking at you. Her other eye is lazy. Man, realism is great, for better or for worse. It very interesting the minor details. The maiden shows modesty by adjusting her jacket to cover more of her chest. That same hand has a rosary. Bellow it, she has a blue ribbon. I do not really know what is the purpose behind it. Its obvious that she is about to go out. Her double gloves and jacket were commonly used when ladies got out to go to church. 

Man, those state portraits are always a real pain. Its cute how these kings and queens like to be painted as larger than life. In all those state portrait, they suppress any trace of humanity. Look at this little girl, they made her look like a Queen, even at her tender age. Its part of the whole vogue of spreading the view that you have to be born a monarch to be a ruler. Thus, a painting as above shows that all rulers, behave like Kings and Queens since their birth. Putting aside their illusions of grandeur, we must admit that this pretty princess has quite the lovely red dress. Its a real bummer, but to me it looks like pink. I guess this painting was badly restored. 

Did you notice all these subjects broad forehead and chin? That was a common facial trait of all from the Hapsburg dynasty. Yeah, there was a lot of inbreeding in that family to preserve the throne within their bloodline. You know, cousins marrying cousins and all. Regardless, you got to admit that their ladies did have the loveliest of dresses. By now, black had gone out of style. Now, the rich and the royals liked more lively colors, like pink and gold.

This pretty little darling is the princess from Las Meninas. This princess was important because she legitimized the marriage of the King's new wife. His old wife had die, or was killed (I forget). Now, he needed a new queen. With a new queen the focused change to her children. As the first born of this new line, this princess was the one who would inherit the throne. Thus, her state portraits became really important. You got to admit that she is one pretty little darling. Her dress is so fine.It is a pity that the colors are a bit faded. Via the chair in the foreground we get a good idea of the size of this little princess.

 It took a while for the Queen to produce a male heir. Now this little kid is the center of attention. You see those bells on his dress? Like cows, in the old days they used to put bells on the little kids to keep track of them. It also kept them entertained. Sewed on his dress are 3 kinds of toys. Beside him, there is also his favorite puppy. We all know, that doggies are little boys' best friends. Why is the prince wearing a pink dress? Well, they were treated as chicks until they entered manhood. The age when a guys was considered men in those days was... I think it was either 6 or 7. Yeah, relativity wise, the sooner they could marry off the kid, the better. It was rare for kids in those days to survive the first few years.

Fertility (or lack thereof) was a big issue back then. Thus, they emphasized the princess birthing hips with the hopes that she would produce a lot of male heirs. As for the pink, its a major bummer about this dress. To me, it looks more red and blue than pink. Regardless, her dress came out extremely pretty. I think this was the last painting that featured this princes. 

I decided to make the last Diego Velazquez blog about his masterpiece. Well, I am getting a bit ahead of myself. The thing is that my mama sent me some info on this painting. To make her happy, I am going to post it. So, I sorta skipped ahead. Like we all know, Las Meninas is a totally awesome painting. Its been called "The theology of painting" (whatever that means). Another guy was so shocked by the realism of this painting that he doubted if it was a painting (Teophile Guatier). After Velazquez painted it, hundreds and thousands of painters have imitated it.

On the surface, the theme seems a bit trivial. The princess and her ladies in waiting (aka Las Meninas) have entered Velazquez's studio. They are looking at the subjects that Velazquez is painting. Velazquez is stuck in mid thought. The subjects of Velazquez could be the viewer. However, the mirror is reflecting the king and Queen. They are in a portrait pose. The issue is that the painting is big enough to fit more people. So, its a group portrait that includes the subjects. You know whats funny about Velazquez depiction of Velazquez? He was already roaming his 50s. However, he painted himself like a 40 year old. He also painted himself dressed like a knight. For a while he was bothering the king to become a knight. After the painting was completed, the king knighted him. He added the red cross of his order later.

Now, lets take the characters by pieces. The Lady in Waiting on the left hand of the Princess is called María Agustina Sarmiento. She is offering the Princess a little silver platter with a red cup. The six year old Princess Margarita is accepting her offering in a candid, childlike "Queenly" fashion. On the meantime, she is observing the viewers with curiosity. She is only half aware of "Las Meninas".

Toward the right, we see her other Menina, Isabel de Velasco, She is showing her respect, via a small reverence. Next to Isabel we have the princess pet midget, Maribárbola. She is a German import. This dwarf too is looking at the viewer. The odd Kid kicking the dog is also a dwarf. His name is Nicolasillo Pertusato. His childlike appearance, and playfulness makes him the perfect "kid" playmate of the Princess. 

Behind the first group of Meninas, we see a nun and an older lady. The nun is  called Marcela Ulloa. She takes care of the younger Meninas. Beside her, there is an unknown woman. Her hands are crossed as she listens to the pios talks of the nun. She too seems more interested in the subjects of Velazquez painting. The guy by the door, is called José Nieto. We are not certain if he is coming or going. I think he is a noble of sorts.

Now for the scenery, its pretty big. The open and closed windows makes the place look bigger. Some of the windows are opened. The figures in this painting are almost life sized. That is how big they are. I suppose I should wrap things up. The events in this painting were part of the day to day routines of the palace. The king and Queen liked to visit Velazquez often at his studio. They always had small talks with the painter. The princess too, liked his studio. When the prince died, his room was converted into Velazquez's painting studio.

One of the paintings by the windows, is said to be the painting of the prince. You see, that line across Velazquez. For a while, this painting was hosted in the Alcázar de Madrid. One day, that placed burned down. They had to save the paintings quickly. Many got cut cut around a section to make them fit through the window. The Menina to the left, got sliced in half. Recently, it got restored quite beautifully. For a while, she did look kinda messed up. The restoration was the handiwork of John Brealey. Not only did he fix that lady in waiting, he also took out all the yellowing sooth that accumulated over the years. This painting is now this pretty thanks to his masterful hand. Well, I think that is everything worth mentioning.

Now, let us continue with my Diego Velazquez art blogs. In this art blog, I featured some of Velazquez 5 stars worthy mythology and Bible paintings. I decided to only rate the paintings that are truly 5 stars worthy. In any case, I wanted to start with the Immaculate Conception. I like the Virgin Mary's doomsday form a lot. Velazquez choose a very beautiful model. Her face is really pretty. The red hair is an interesting touch. On the ground, you can make out a garden. The final sunset is noticeable over the horizon. Its interesting how Velazquez complimented this painting with a lot of Apocalyptic details. Pretty neat.

In this painting, we see Bacchus crowning a peasant. For the poor, wine is their only comfort. It eases their burden and brings them happiness. While drinking, they imagine themselves nobles. Like that man, being crowned by Bacchus. Beside Bacchus, a smiling drink is looking at us. His friend is also jeering at us. At the Bacchus's feet, we see several wine recipients. Here, Velazquez was showing us several textures. It’s how artists show off their mastery of realism. 

Like we all know, Joseph's brothers' were jealous of him. He was the favorite of their father Jacob. He liked Joseph better because he was the only son of his favorite wife Rachel. The other brats belonged to his second wife Leah. One day, Jacob gave him a fancy coat. This was the last straw! His brothers then sold Joseph to slavery. To hide their crime, they put animal blood on Joseph's coat. They then took it to his father and pretended that Joseph was dead.

Here Jacob is just receiving the bad news. He looks shocked and full of pain. The brothers' holding the coat are pretending to be sad. The two brothers in the darkness are sneering and whispering among each other. They were the main conspirators in getting rid of the competition. Jealousy can drive a man to do terrible things. The dog barking is there for realism purposes. Dogs always bark at the scent of blood. I think that is everything worth mentioning.

In this painting, Apollo has gone to visit Vulcan. He is telling him the bad news about his wife Venus. In this episode, Apollo is telling Vulcan that Venus is once again cheating on him. This time, Vulcan's wife, slept with Mars. What is interesting about Vulcan's forge is that it resembles a regular forge of the Baroque period. Heck, even the armors built, are knight's armor. Thus, the painting is not about the mythological story, but about the Forge.

Above, we see the cruxified Christ. The blood and his pose is quite realistic, more or less. The halo is an interesting detail. Its the only touch of otherworldly about this Jesus. Its like combining realism with divinity. I think that is everything worth mentioning about this painting.

This painting features Mars. He looks defeated and he is meditating. Venus has just left after getting bored with Mars. His baculo that represents his manliness, has fallen. When it comes to love, this war god is a novice. Its pretty neat, how love defeated war. The black knight's armor is also pretty neat. The model also works pretty well. He looks strong, but old. The folding of his bent belly adds realism to his frame.

Above, we see the Virgin Mary's coronation. She is being crown by the Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost. The realism on these figures are quite exquisite. The father has the globe in his hand. The son has the shepherd staff in his arm.

The above painting is the infamous Rokeby Venus. She is looking at her own reflection in a mirror held by her son Cupid. She was stabbed by feminist chick trying to make a point. Something about the objectification of women. Needless to say, she was an uneducated brat who has never seen Greek Gods. In Greece, all Gods and Goddesses are in the nude. It has nothing to do with Objectification. Its more of a glorification of human beauty. This glorification is unusual. Usually, one gets the front of the chick. The mysterious patron of this painting wanted to get the Venus's fine behind.

The last painting is the fable of Arachne. Arachne was a lady who thought she was the best at sewing. Her arrogance attracted the attention of Athena. Athena challenged Arachne to a sewing battle. Whoever could make the best tapestry was the victor. Naturally, Arachne lost. As punishment for her arrogance, Athena turned Arachne into a spider. On the surface, this look like a regular genre painting. The ladies look like regular baroque chicks. This painting epitomizes the art of sewing. The scene is divided between the humanly sewers of Arachne and Athena's team. Athena is already done with her masterpiece. You can see it hanged in the walls of the other room. I think that is everything worth mentioning about this painting.

This is the last Diego Velazquez art blog. Let us begin! This immitates Caravaggio musician painting. It’s just a simple genre painting. Here we see some musicians practicing. One is singing and playing the guitar. The other is playing the violin. The last kid is offering wine to one of the musicians. Behind the kid, we see a little monkey. He is the star of their performance. Pretty neat performers. On the table, we have a still life of bread, some knifes and a glass of wine. This one simply shows Velazquez mastery of reflecting surfaces. That Velazquez always did quite the realistic glass effect. I think that is everything worth mentioning.  This is another genre painting. Here an old woman is cooking eggs. Her grandson is helping her out. In this painting, we see several surfaces. They are each painted with a lot of realism. Really neat if you ask me.

This is another genre painting. Some peasants are eating a humble breakfast. One of the kids is looking at the viewer and giving us a thumbs up. Uh, its seems that the thumbs up is more than 500 years old. Interesting! Then again, I think that was a Roman thing. Besides him, a kid is offering a toast of wine. Their old man is more focused on the dinner. This painting shows off Velazquez's still life abilities. Look at the lovely reflecting surfaces on the table. The knife creates the illusion that it is outside the painting. The faces of the trio are in frontal profile, side profile and 3/4 profile. In those early years, Velazquez was still looking for a job. He was painting these random genre paintings with the hopes of attracting a rich patron. His efforts paid off when he landed the cushy job at the Spanish palace.

I should have thrown this painting along with the mythological and the biblical paintings. However, I figured that since there was a big enough crown, I would host it here. The figures are quite realistic, except for the halos. The Baby Jesus is one cute kid. 

Well, here is the last Diego Velazquez featured painting. There were a lot more war paintings. However, I do so hate equestrian paintings. I like my nobles off their high horses. Anyhow, the guys on the right are the Spanish victor. The guys from Brenda are on the left. Their general is bowing. The Spanish general is asking him to rise. He respects his military prowess. There are no hard feelings. Several generals on both sides are looking at the viewer. The horse in the foreground is there for perspective purposes. He gives more dept to the painting. On the background, we see the burning Breda. I suppose that is everything worth mentioning. I will feature next this modern impressionism guy in the near future. I think I have another Fuseli blog also planned. Maybe, I will write another Disney movie blog. Goodbye for now.