LAS MENINAS
by Diego Velazquez
1599-1660
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Diego Velazquez (DYAY goe vuh LASS kess) was born in Seville in the country of Spain. When he was about thirteen years old he was apprenticed to a painter, Francisco Herrera, but the man was such a tyrant Diego only stayed with him for a year. He next went as an apprentice to Francisco Pacheco who was very kind and helpful to him. He worked for him five years, then married Pacheco's daughter, Juana, who gave him two daughters.
Diego Valezquez self-portrait 1643
With his family and his father-in-law, Pacheco, he visited Madrid where he was asked to paint the portrait of King Philip IV. The Spanish king was so pleased, he asked Velazquez to move to Madrid with his family and work exclusively for the royal family. For the next forty years he and his family lived with the king. Even his mother and father lived with them. He painted at least 20 pictures of the king in all kinds of clothing.
Velazquez also was in charge of buying things for the royal family. He bought art work and furniture. He was in charge of planning and decorating for social events. He helped the king keep the household running smoothly. The king was so appreciative that he made him a Knight of the Order of Santiago. This was a very high honor for a nobleman in Spain.
Our featured work in this lesson has been named Las Meninas. The "meninas" were the young daughters of noblemen's families who waited on the young princess who was called an "infanta". The young girl is serving the princess something in a cup. The artist with the brush in his hand is, of course, Velazquez. If you look at the reflection in the mirror, you can see the king and queen who are apparently posing while the artist paints their picture. (This is explained very well in the book "A Weekend with Velazquez" shown below.)
Velazquez painted several pictures of dwarfs such as the figures you see at the right hand side of the picture. These were the court jesters who entertained the king and his family.
Another of his famous paintings is called The Lances which depicts the defeated Dutch general handing over the key to his city, Breda, to General Spinola who was the Spanish army general. The lances you see sticking up in the background indicate there is a large army gathered there.
In 1660 the king's daughter married King Louis XIV of France. Velazquez made a trip to northern Spain to make preparations for the marriage of Maria Teresa and the king of France. The artist became ill and died a few days after returning to the royal palace. He was 61 years old.
Museum of Art Masterpieces
By Homeschool / Running Press Book Publishers
Here's the perfect primer for museum field trips---an art history survey, a miniature gallery, and a hands-on lesson in portrait restoration all in one box! Providing a behind-the-scenes look at great art works, this activity kit includes a timeline featuring artist biographies and portraits; a booklet guiding you through a mini-gallery tour; reusable stickers to mount your own exhibit; and materials to restore a miniature painting. Ages 8 and up.
Diego Velazquez
from the Art chive
Pictures and Biography
from the Addio Gallery
Las Meninas
information at Wikipedia
Velazquez Paintings
from Olga's Gallery
Velazquez, biography and paintings
from Cyber Spain
Diego Velazquez
from Art Cyclopedia
Velazquez
extensive list of paintings from Web Gallery
Velazquez, biography
Famous Artists in this Series
Index to Famous Paintings
Art Appreciation
Lessons for Kids
Online Crossword Puzzle 
Online Word Search
Online Word Scramble
Color Picture Online
