Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Velázquez
No painter has come to symbolise Spain's
golden age of the arts in the 17th century
quite like Diego Rodríguez de Silva
Velázquez (1599-1660). Born in Seville,
Velázquez moved to Madrid as court painter
and composed scenes (landscapes, royal
portraits, religious subjects, snapshots of
everyday life) that owe their vitality not only to
his photographic eye for light and contrast
but also to a compulsive interest in the hu-
manity of his subjects, so that they seem to
breathe on the canvas. His masterpieces in-
clude
Las Meninas
(Maids of Honour) and
La
Rendición de Breda
(The Surrender of
Breda), both on view in the Museo del Prado.
The former painting shows just how enam-
oured Velázquez was with royal life: he so
much wanted to be made a Knight of Santi-
ago that in
Las Meninas
he cheekily por-
trayed himself with the cross of Santiago on
his vest, long before his wish was granted.
Forgotten Art
Galleries
1 MUSEU D'ART
CONTEMPORANI (
CLICK HERE
)
3 MUSEO DE BELLAS ARTES,
VALENCIA (
CLICK HERE
)
4 MUSEO DE BELLAS ARTES,
SEVILLE (
CLICK HERE
)
5 MUSEO DE BELLAS ARTES,
BILBAO (
CLICK HERE
)
Goya
Born into a modest provincial family in the vil-
lage of Fuendetodos in Aragón, Francisco
José de Goya y Lucientes (1746-1828)
began designing for Madrid's Real Fábrica de
Tapices (Royal Tapestry Workshop) in Madrid
in 1776, but illness in 1792 left him deaf; many critics speculate that his condition
was largely responsible for his wild, often merciless style that would become in-
creasingly unshackled from convention. By 1799, Goya was appointed Carlos IV's
court painter.
In the last years of the 18th century he painted enigmatic masterpieces such as
La Maja Vestida
(The Young Lady Dressed) and
La Maja Desnuda
(The Young
Lady Undressed). The Inquisition was not amused, and covered up the paintings.
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