Diego Velázquez
Spanish Baroque painter of the court of Philip IV.
Diego Rodríguez de Silva y Velázquez was a Spanish Baroque painter and the leading artist in the court of King Philip IV of Spain and Portugal. He is generally considered one of the greatest artists in the history of Western art, known for his individualistic style that evolved from precise tenebrism to a freer manner with bold brushwork.
- born
- baptised 6 June 1599, Seville, Spain
- died
- 6 August 1660
- field
- Painting
- nationality
- Spanish
- known_for
- Masterpiece Las Meninas (1656); portraits of Spanish royal family and commoners; bodegones
Lore & Background
Velázquez was born in Seville, the first child of Juan Rodríguez de Silva, a notary, and Jerónima Velázquez. He was baptized at the Church of St. Peter on 6 June 1599. He showed an early gift for art and was apprenticed to Francisco Pacheco, an artist and teacher in Seville. A contract signed on 17 September 1611 formalized a six-year apprenticeship with Pacheco, backdated to 10 December 1610. Velázquez married Pacheco's daughter, Juana, on 23 April 1618; they had two daughters, one of whom died in infancy. His earliest works are bodegones (kitchen scenes with prominent still-lifes), such as Old Woman Frying Eggs (1618) and The Waterseller of Seville (1618–1622).
Reader's Guide
Velázquez's paintings became a model for 19th century realist and impressionist painters. In the 20th century, artists such as Pablo Picasso, Salvador Dalí, and Francis Bacon paid tribute to him by reinterpreting some of his most iconic images. Most of his work entered the Spanish royal collection, and by far the best collection is in the Museo del Prado in Madrid, although some portraits were sent abroad as diplomatic gifts, especially to the Austrian Habsburgs. His legacy includes influencing later movements through his bold brushwork and realistic depiction, as seen in works like Las Meninas (1656).
Did You Know?
- Velázquez was baptized on 6 June 1599, likely a few days or weeks after his birth.
- He was apprenticed to Francisco Pacheco, whose daughter Juana he married in 1618.
- His painting The Waterseller of Seville has been termed 'the peak of Velázquez's bodegones'.
- In 1627, he won a competition set by Philip IV with a painting of the expulsion of the Moors.
Notable Quotes (Wikiquote)
"Diego Velázquez (6 June 1599 – 6 August 1660) was a Spanish painter, the leading artist in the court of King Philip IV, and one of the most important painters of the Spanish Golden Age." — Diego Velázquez "Raphael, to be plain with you, for I prefer to be candid and outspoken, does not please me at all..
..It is Titian that bears the banner." — Diego Velázquez "I have had Three Masters-Nature, Velázquez, And Rembrandt." — Diego Velázquez
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