Las Meninas
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Diego Velàzquez
Las Meninas |
| This is one of Velàzquez's most famous court paintings. Las Meninas show the Infanta Margarita Teresa, with a ring of servants, her dog, and Velàzquez, himself, in the painting. The reflected image of the king and queen are so obviously emphasized through brighter colors that it seems as if we are looking at the painting in their perspective. The taller maid bows down towards us as if paying her respects to their Royal Highnesses. The painting has an amazing amount of detail. We can see the translucent silver of the silk that lines the sleeve of the Infanta's dress. He is putting a lot of detail into the clothing, however, the appearances of his subjects have a rather animated appearance on their faces. Also interesting to note is Velàzquez's self portrait in the painting. He painting himself in someone else's perspective, which is one of the points of interest in the painting. The red cross on his shirt is a symbol of his knighthood and was painted on two or three years after the original painting was completed. He painted it on himself, though many stories have said that King Philip IV, himself, painted it on. |
