Velazquez paintings
At present there are still around 130 paintings by Velázquez with the certified signature of the author. So in this article we will show you the 22 most outstanding paintings by Velázquez.
Las Meninas
This painting by Velázquez is also known as that of The family of Felipe IV. It was created in 1656. The style used for this work was the Spanish Baroque and the technique used was Oil. It also has a canvas support. In addition, this artistic work by Velázquez measures 318 cm x 276 cm. And it is located in the Prado Museum, in the city of Madrid in Spain.
The portrait is diverse with a life-size size, in which the main figure and protagonist is the Spanish baby Margarita Teresa de Austria from 1651 to 1673, around her the maids called "meninas", distinguished people of the lineage and even Velázquez himself.
This work of art is among Velázquez's paintings as one of the most studied of all time. Currently, the primary source of information comes from what was recorded by the treatise writer and painter Antonio Palomino, who was born in 1655 and died in 1726. This painter was the one who researched every detail from the biographies to the paintings of the artists as well as the symbolism, technique, and history. If you want to know more about this famous painting, you can consult the Curiosities of Las Meninas.
Bacchus' triumph
Like the previous painting, this one is known by another name, which is "The Drunkards", it is one of the most outstanding paintings by Velázquez. His style is Baroque, the genre of painting is mythological. Also his technique is Oil and the support he used was a canvas. This painting is from the year 1628 and is located in the Prado Museum, in Madrid Spain, like the rest of the paintings.
The god of wine in Greek mythology Bacchus, which is also known as Dionisio, is the main character of this painting, this painting was commissioned by King Philip IV of Spain. The ingenuity of making a work with a theme of Greek mythology comes from the amazement that it generated in the painter.
As well as the works of Caravaggio the Italian painter, as well as many other works by Italian artists. The canvas of the work was painted in the city of Madrid, in this painting it is represented by an amalgam between the profane and the deities of Greek mythology.
The importance of this work is that it marks a before and after in the painter's career, since it was Velázquez's first serious incursion into the mythological genre, and he would never detach himself from the theme until his last days.
The expertise to make multiple portraits rescued her from her years in Seville as an expert portraitist and religious genre painter, where she came to compose highly complex works.
The treatment of light on the protagonist and his companions makes the main character stand out, and provides magnificent contrasts of light and shadow to the others. Naturalism is combined with realism and the mythological concept. This mixture gives the work a highly original character for the time.
The significance of this work is that it marks a turning point in the painter's professional life. This is because it was the first mythological work in Velázquez's paintings, in which he was beginning to explore this genre. After this work, he continued to work on this theme until the end of his life.
He regained his talent for diverse painting after years in Seville, specializing in portraits and religious paintings. This led to Velázquez's paintings becoming highly diverse.
The lighting focuses on the main character and the people around him. The protagonist stands out thanks to all the exceptional equipment that creates a play of contrasts of light and shadow on the other characters. The natural world blends with reality and the idea of something mythological. This combination gives this painting a wonderful and unique quality for that moment.
The fable of Arachne
Among Velázquez's paintings, this piece of art is known by the name of “Las hilanderas”. In the same way it has a Baroque style, the genre of this painting is Literary Allegory. In the same way as the previous paintings, the technique he used for this painting was Oil. The date of this painting is from the year 1657, housed in the Prado Museum.
This painting is located next to "Las Meninas," so it can be said that of all Velázquez's paintings, this is the most complicated he ever made. That's why this work has been interpreted in different ways over time. From these simple perspectives, they appreciate and give value to its artistic and beautiful nature.
They have even come to have interpretations of the figures that are on stage, that of a seamstress's workshop in a monument. Therefore, they have included representations such as occult symbols and mythology in their analysis.
This artwork consists of two scenes. First, in the foreground, five figures of women spinning can be seen, dressed in the clothing of that time. Then, in the background, five more mysterious figures can be seen communicating and interacting with each other while scrutinizing and visualizing a canvas depicting cherubs.
As much as the technique, the action and the anatomy of the work have been admired and exalted many times by different painters as time goes by.
Adoration of the Magi
This work is one of Velázquez's paintings whose genre is religious painting. With his Baroque style and Oil technique he impresses us again. So this painting was made in 1619 and is in the Prado Museum along with the other works mentioned above.
This painting has as a pictorial representation the arrival of the wise men who came from the east to see the king of the Jews, the Messiah who was born in the city of Judea in Bethlehem. So this work of the Christian tradition is made up of a series of remarkable works in which it has some well-crafted details of shadows that in turn look very real.
In this painting you can see that they are worshiping the child, and the characters that appear are the child, the Virgin Mary (the mother), Saint Joseph (the father), a shepherd and the wise men with their gifts for the little baby Jesus .
The Jester Sebastian de Morra
In this painting he is also known as El Buffoon el Primo. Among Velázquez's paintings, this is one of the portraits he painted in 1645 in his Baroque style. Through his entire career as an artist, it can be seen that among Velázquez's paintings there are many paintings of dwarf buffoons.
So it is believed that these works and their themes were one of the most stupendous among all Velázquez's works. The ways of painting with his techniques, using each color, light and creating a story that mixes brilliance. In addition to this work, among Velázquez's paintings there is a painting just like this one and it is well known for being a portrait of a dwarf who is the boy from Vallecas.
apostle head
In Velázquez's paintings, portraits stand out a lot and it is due to his techniques when doing a job. With its Baroque style, this painting is a portrait type painting, with its Oil technique and was made in the year 1620.
This work features a chiaroscuro contrast, which shows the face of one of the apostles. But since the canvas is cut out, it's impossible to tell exactly which biblical figure it is. One thing is certain, though, and that is that it's neither Saint Paul nor Saint Thomas.
So it is believed that these two Saints were included in the painting they cut out (the original). People who know more about this subject are not quite sure of the authorship of the painting. However, due to the features that the canvas has, it can be said that with the small fraction of error it has and the style that the artist gave to his painting, it is between the year 1619 and the year 1620.
Deer head
The head of a deer, is a Baroque painting with oil technique from the year 1631. This painting is in the Prado Museum, in the city of Madrid in Spain, like the rest of Velázquez's paintings. This is the portrait of a deer, but like the previous painting, it is not known exactly if it is by the author Diego Velázquez.
So many art experts aren't entirely sure, although some say his brushstrokes and technique are consistent. As is the aesthetic the artist employed in all his paintings.
Coronation of the Virgin
This is one of Velázquez's allegorical paintings. It is a Baroque-style painting, using oil on canvas. This work dates from 1644 and is located in the Prado Museum in Madrid.
The Coronation of the Virgin is considered by experts to be one of the painter's most outstanding religious works. His ancestry is not exactly known, the date on which the painting was issued nor the place of origin of him. But due to its stylistic appearance it is argued that it was made in the year 1635 or in the year 1644, it is between these years.
The description of this work is very simple, at the top are the characters of the Holy Trinity of Christian belief, which is the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, who are honoring the Virgin Mary with a crown. he is in a seat of clouds, together with the rays of the sun and some angels that are flying around him.
Christ in the House of Martha and Mary
The name of this painting in English is Christ in the House of Martha and Mary. This painting is among Velázquez's paintings as a work of biblical scene genre. With Baroque style and oil technique this work is from the year 1618. This painting, unlike the other paintings by Velázquez previously named, this painting is located in the National Gallery, in the city of London, England.
The painting of the biblical scene corresponds to the first stage of Velázquez. As it usually is or is used to observing in works of baroque styles, the primordial scene should appear in the foreground, but it is not.
The scene in which the characters of Jesus appear talking or interacting with the sisters Marta and María is in the background. And the figures that are on the front page are extras that the artist placed, which are the old woman and the servant, they are not part of any of the gospels of the Bible.
A curious fact: after fifty years, J. Vermeer painted a picture with his own interpretation of the Bible verse. If you'd like to learn more about the characteristics of Baroque painting and its impact on Velázquez's work, you can consult here.
Crucified christ
This work is also known as the Christ of San Placido. With its Baroque style and religious art genre, this oil painting is one of the most splendid paintings of Jesus Christ on the cross in the world of paintings.
In this painting you can see Jesus nailed to a cross, this work is very famous and is due to his masculine physiognomy. In this way the artist Velázquez was inspired to make this painting of intellectual and pictorial works.
In this painting you can see Christ half-naked. The one where he's supposedly already deceased, from the way he's tilting his face up, his skin pale, as well as the way his legs and arms are tense.
From what can be said that the appearance is particularly light, her body figure is made up of the most beautiful and emblematic parts of that stage. He learned all this from his mentor Francisco Pacheco, who put it into practice in all of Velázquez's paintings.
Vulcan's Forge
As mentioned before, a lot of variety can be seen in Velázquez's paintings. As well as religious genre, portraits and mythological paintings. In this case it will be a Baroque-style mythological painting from the year 1630. This work is located in the Prado Museum in Madrid.
The work represents one of the works done with the best care, and the first approach to the mythological theme of the artist. In this painting the god of Greek mythology Apollo is observed. Which has as its posture a visit to the blacksmith shop ruled by the mythological god Vulcano.
That for his part this god shows him an attitude of fascination in front of what the god Apollo spoke to him. This painting is made up of excellent and well-crafted fractions.
Since each part of his anatomy is well worked, so these techniques are taken from the school in Italy where he learned all these things that he placed in Velázquez's paintings while he was in the city of Rome.
The Fountain of the Tritons in the Garden of the Island of Aranjuez
The genre of this painting is landscapes and customs. The canvas was issued in the year 1657. Like the other paintings by Velázquez, this one is Baroque and with an Oil technique. This painting represents a country view in which the landscape contains a fountain of newts, which continue to exist until now. These statues that are there are formed of marble.
These figures are also located next to the royal palace in Madrid, Spain. The canvas captures the magnificence of country light, which can exist on its own, with jungle-like trees in the background and in the drying shed at the entrance.
The figure or characters appearing on the scene are seemingly enjoying a day of fun and entertainment. This work is composed in a very simple manner and focuses on the source, which is why it is considered a costumbrista genre.
The Infanta Margarita in Blue
The name of this painting in English is Infanta Margarita Teresa in a Blue Dress. This canvas is included among Velázquez's paintings as a portrait and measures 127 cm x 107 cm. This painting was made in 1659 and is currently housed in the Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna.
It can be said that this work is one of the most recognized individual portraits in the history of this painter. Shown here is the girl Margarita Teresa, the main character of the play Las Meninas, which was painted many times by Velázquez at his young age until he was 8 years old.
Francisco Lezcano, the Boy of Vallecas
This portrait is of a costumbrista genre, and the canvas measures: 107 cm x 83 cm. It was made in the year 1640. The dwarf that appears in the play of the jester in the court of Prince Baltasar Carlos, also experienced a mental deficit, which in ancient times was called oligophrenia.
In the portrait he is shown sitting in a rural environment with a shore, in which he is next to the Vallecas child. On his face you can see a face in which he does not show any concern, half threatening and his small hands carry what could be some playing cards.
This would be a representation of the model of life that he led. The style shown in this work is highlighted in the most important places such as the face and hands that have a light that stands out with a unique ingenuity.
Velázquez's incapacities that were frequent and customary to capture in his paintings, expose us to a moral dispute today. Among the controversy, many people think that the painter only wanted to be human by honoring them with his portraits. And on the other hand they also think that what the artist was looking for was to covertly despise little people with his portraits.
Prince Baltasar Carlos on horseback
This canvas is an equestrian portrait, measuring 209 cm x 173 cm. The painting is from the year 1635 and is located in the Prado Museum, in the city of Madrid. In this portrait of a child who was mounted on a horse, Prince Baltasar Carlos who was born in the year 1629 and died in the year 1646 at the age of seventeen from smallpox, son of King Philip IV.
What was expected to be shown in this work was the power that the future king was going to exercise, who from his childhood already had a style to pose in paintings. As well as his father and his grandfather. That is why, even as an infant, he appears in the portrait with his right hand holding a scepter and with his corresponding military clothing.
The landscape that is located in the back of the main figure of the work shows the place where he was in the city of Madrid, in El Pardo. In the same way, the perspective is projected towards where the mountains of the Hoyo de Manzanares grove are.
The Surrender of Breda
The genre he painted on this occasion was a military scene. Many of Velázquez's paintings feature the same theme. This painting, also known as Las Lanzas (The Lances), measures 307 cm x 367 cm and was issued in 1635.
This work of art depicts a historic period of combat, in which the Spanish troops of King Philip IV achieved victory over the landowners in the Netherlands. The friendly attitude that emerged among the figures in the painting indicates that the battle ended well for the Spanish army, which surrendered irreproachably.
Philip IV
In the year 1653 Diego Velázquez paints King Felipe IV. Which shows King Felipe IV who was born in 1605 and died in 1665. This man was the king that the artist painted the most, since in Velázquez's paintings there are many similar portraits.
This canvas represents the monarch at the age of 52, and it is one of his most famous works, and it is because this painting is worked in a very composed way, of realism and expressiveness. There is also a similar work that is located in the National Gallery in London.
Saint Anthony the Abbot and Saint Paul, the first hermit
The next painting below is of the religious painting genre, measuring about 261 cm x 192,5 cm. The date of issue was in the year 1634, this work is in the Prado Museum, in the city of Madrid.
It is pictorially composed of 3 scenes in which it represents The Golden Legend, a text written by the bishop of Italian origin Santiago de la Vorágine who was born in 1230 and died in 1298. The description of the characters in the foreground is as follows: Saint Anthony is dressed in brown and Saint Paul in white, above them is flying a crow that is bringing him food.
The other scene of the work is on the sides of the painting, the same main figures but on the left side you can see the tomb of Saint Paul, together with the contribution of a lion. And on the right side the day the saint is found already deceased with a worshiper's posture.
Three men at the table
The name that this painting has in the English language is The Lunch or Luncheon. As this work is known by the name Lunch. Its genre is Costumbrismo and its style is Tenebrist Baroque. The canvas measures 108,5 cm x 102 cm, and was issued in the year 1617. This painting is located in the Hermitage museum, Saint Petersburg.
A brief description of the painting, as well as some of Velázquez's paintings, is one of Sevillian costumbrismo, in which the artist paints three men from different periods, who are eating in harmony at the table. In the dark back, a servant's hand appears in the light, pouring wine for them to continue their conversation.
three musicians
This painting among the others named is the one with the smallest measurements and they are 87 cm x 110 cm. It was made in the year 1618, and this canvas is located in the Pinacoteca Gemäldegalerie in Berlin.
In the following work, it is shown in a costumbrista scene in which the painter wants to highlight the dark genre of the location, since it is adapted to an environment in the city of Seville. Among the men in the play there is one, who is the most youthful of those who are there, and he has a mocking gesture on his face.
Which indicates that the other two men have already had enough wine. In addition to the fact that the boy is holding a glass of wine to imply that they were drinking.
On the other hand, the figures that appear on the right are not holding their instruments tightly, which gives the appearance that they are playing without rhythm or melody. Today this canvas remains splendid both for its colors and the characters and the light that are almost unchanged.
mirror venus
This is the English name of The Rokeby Venus or The Toilet of Venus. The genre of the work is Mythological Painting, and the painting measures approximately 122,5 cm x 177 cm. It was completed in 1649 and is located in the National Gallery, London. This work is an artistic nude that appears to have been the only nude of a woman in all of Velázquez's paintings.
Unless he was worked on something for himself. But it would be better this way, since if it were done more they would have been a problem for society morally speaking due to a type of painting like this.
Based on Greek mythology, the painting depicts the goddess of beauty, Venus. This goddess poses while looking in a mirror, suggesting the great beauty of the female body. In a graceful position, the woman is seen lying on her side on top of the sheets, her back to the goddess Venus, who sees the observer through a mirror held by her son, the god Cupid.
old woman frying eggs
The name of this work in the English language is Old Woman Frying Eggs, the genre is Costumbrismo from the year 1618 and this painting is located in the National Gallery of Scotland.
The brief description is simple; it's based on one of Velázquez's first formal paintings. It's considered a still life genre, notable for the diverse tools he used and the textures he included, such as boiling oil, bronze mortar, fabrics, vegetables, stains, wood, metals, ceramics, and wicker. Every detail he included was intended to demonstrate his full potential as an artist.
Brief Biography of Velázquez
Diego Rodríguez de Silva y Velázquez, better known as Diego Velázquez, was a Spanish painter who was born in the city of Seville in the year 1599 and died in the year 1660 in the city of Madrid. Velázquez's paintings are noted for their Baroque, tenebrist and naturalism styles. This painter was a student of Francisco Pacheco.
Diego Velázquez was a Baroque painter, and many have considered him a fabulous artist with great talent. Thus, two centuries after his death, Velázquez's paintings were given the recognition they deserved as the greatest of all time. Velázquez's most renowned paintings are currently collected in the Prado Museum.
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