Diego Velázquez (1599 – 1660) was one of the finest Spanish artists of all time. Velázquez became initially popular with his paintings of religious themes. However, he eventually moved toward complex artworks that featured realistic subjects, which earned him a position at the royal court of King Philip IV.
Diego Velázquez was born on June 6, 1599, in Seville, Spain. He started his apprenticeship at the tender age of 11, where he worked under the guidance of Francisco Pacheco, a local artist in Spain. Thus, the early works of Velázquez were mostly of religious background. These themes greatly pleased Pacheco, although Caravaggio eventually inspired the works of this young artist.
By 1617, Velázquez has already reached the last period of his apprenticeship. Afterwards, he decided to set up his very own studio that featured his great works. Then, in 1618, he married Juana, the daughter of his mentor.
Soon, Velázquez moved to the royal court of King Philip IV. This new milestone in his life gave him a better access to impressive collection of artworks that helped inspire his masterpieces. He also knew about Peter Paul Rubens who was a Flemish-born baroque artist during that time. Like other Baroque artists such as Annibale Carracci, Velázquez was tremendously impressed with Renaissance Artists such as Michelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci, Raphael, and Titian. These artists influenced Velázquez most notably in his rendering of color and light.
From 1629 to 1631, the artist went to Italy and discovered more about the art techniques of various painters. When he came back to Madrid, he started an extensive series of portraits, and these all depicted the royal family riding on a horse. He also became quite preoccupied with painting a number of dwarves who were also among the members of the king’s court. Velázquez presented these beings as complex, yet brilliant creatures.
In addition to the artist’s regular painting tasks, he also served a few other things that he was fond of, as well. For instance, he became the superintendent that watched over several palace works, and he also became a wardrobe assistant.
By 1649, he travelled back to Italy. Here, he was provided with an opportunity to present Pope Innocent X in a painting. (…)
During that time in Spain, there were two main patrons of art that were recognized in the country. Velázquez had the favor from the royalties while Bartolome Esteban Murillo won the favor of the church. Between the two, it was Velázquez who basked in a more comfortable life with pension until his death. (…)
According to critics, Velázquez’ works full of movement and energy, which is made possible by the vibrant display of colors in his paintings. Moreover, his masterpieces all featured the artist’s sheer knowledge of various art techniques that he gained during his long years in his craft. His typical scheme always featured a variety of gray, black, blue-green and red colors blended well to create a stunning painting.
(…) Velázquez decided to continue working on his portraiture when he was reassigned to Madrid’s royal court. It was at this time that his techniques became more energized and bolder than before. His greatest work was entitled Las Meninas, and this featured a painting resembling a snapshot. Moreover, there were two maidens doting on Margarita Teresa who eventually became the empress of the kingdom.
During the year 1658, Velázquez was knighted in the royal court. He was also given some duties in terms of the decoration for the wedding of Louis XIV and Maria Teresa. Soon, the artist became ill, and he died on August 6, 1660, in Madrid.
Although Diego Velázquez lived during Dutch War of Independence, a time of political tension and war between Dutch and Spanish, the Dutch and Spanish painting traditions approached closer to each other than it is generally thought. The 17th century has become known as the Golden Age of painting in both the Netherlands and Spain. It was a period of tremendous artistic achievement that saw the emergence of three of the greatest painters in history, Rembrandt, Vermeer and Velázquez, the leading artists of their respective countries. Like other great masters, Velázquez was more a creator than a recorder of his epoch, and whatever his subject – whether he as painting gods, kings or aristocrats, dwarfs or artists – his work has continue to live after his death, and Velázquez became widely known as among the greatest influences of Western Art. In fact, some remarkable artists in history regarded Velázquez as their influences. These painters included Van Gogh, Manet, Picasso, and Salvador Dali, among a few other artists. It was his sheer talent and passion to incorporate newer techniques that made Velázquez among the finest artists in the world.
Source: https://www.diego-velazquez.org/
