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Applied Humanities

Themes in Visual Art Velázquez By James Romaine 2 Module Two: Introduction to the Humanities, continued / Page 2.1.4 Velázquez On this page: 0 of 10 attempted (0%) Objective: Analyze a painting by Diego Velázquez to identify its theme.

Las Meninas presents a more challenging example: since it is not what it initially might appear to be, Diego Velázquez’s painting requires some more scrutiny. There are a lot of details that need careful observation. What might seem to be the main subjects are, in fact, the means of visualizing other more abstract themes.

On this page, you will examine elements of a Baroque painting by Diego Velázquez to determine its theme. Use the images and information provided to answer the questions below.

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Las Meninas (The Ladies-in-Waiting)

This is an oil painting. Centered in the painting is a young girl clothed in a hoop-skirted, light-colored gown. There are two older girls, one on either side of her, also dressed in hooped gowns. All of the girls have flowers fastened in their hair. The central girl’s hair is long and blonde. The older girls have hair that is darker and shorter. The older girl on the left is kneeling and holding the younger girl’s right hand. The girl on the right is standing, slightly bent toward the younger girl. To the right of this girl are two children, gazing out at the viewer. In front of them is a dog lying on the floor. To the left of the kneeling girl is a man holding a paintbrush. He looks out at the viewer. In the background is the reflection of a man and woman in a mirror, a man standing in a doorway on steps leading up, and a man and woman.

Click to enlarge

Peter Horree/Alamy

Diego Velázquez

Las Meninas (The Ladies-in-Waiting), 1656

Era/Culture/Movement: Spanish Baroque

Medium: Oil on canvas

Dimensions: 10′ 5.25″ × 9′ 0.75″

Location: Museo del Prado, Madrid, Spain

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The artist is in the act of painting the king and queen of Spain, who stand in the implied space of the viewer and can be seen in the reflection of the mirror in the background, as they are greeted by the princess and her entourage.

In terms of theme, this work is constructed from layers of relationships. The painter looks toward the viewer. Standing in the implied viewer’s space, and seen in the reflection of the mirror in the background, are the king and queen. A collection of girls and young women occupy the foreground of the painting, including the princess, who gazes directly at the viewer and, by extension, her parents (the king and queen) posing for their portrait. Although the subject of the painting initially seems to be a routine moment in the life of the court, the larger subject is the social structure, particularly the place of the artist himself within this social structure.

The Spanish phrase las meninas means “the ladies-in-waiting,” and the center of Diego Velázquez’s composition is the five-year-old princess, Margaret Theresa. At her right and left are her ladies-in-waiting. One of them offers the princess a cup. At the composition’s right are two dwarfs, one of them attempting to awaken a resting mastiff. Further back are a chaperone and a bodyguard; they dutifully stand at a respectful distance behind the princess. At the very back, in the doorway, is the queen’s chamberlain, José Nieto Velázquez (it is not certain whether he was a relative of the artist). At the left, the artist looks out at the viewer.

Diego Velázquez stands before a very large canvas, about the size of Las Meninas. At first glance, it might seem as though he is working on the very same painting that we are looking at. However, a more careful examination of the painting reveals that this is not the case. The subject of the canvas on which Velázquez is working is revealed in the mirror at the back of the room. There we see reflections of King Philip IV and his second wife, Mariana of Austria. This discovery both clarifies and complicates Las Meninas. If Velázquez is painting portraits of the royal couple, perhaps the princess and her entourage are present before her parents for the purpose of entertaining them during the hours of boredom that were required for a portrait to be painted.

While this unfolding relationship of figures clarifies what is happening, it complicates the viewer’s own place in the painting. In a painting such as Gustave Caillebotte’s Paris Street; Rainy Day, the viewer has an implied place in relationship to the subject depicted. In Las Meninas, Velázquez audaciously positions the viewer in the place of the king and queen. It is as if Velázquez were painting our portrait.

The complexity of space within this painting is balanced by Velázquez’s attention to detail. Looking, for example, at the princess, we can study every jewel in her bodice. Her perfect regal posture is the fixed point around which the painting expands in every

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direction (including toward the viewer). It is the convincing illusion of the room as a three-dimensional space that makes the subsequent revelation that this painting is itself an illusion all the more intriguing. In the 17th century, paintings were expected to conceal the means by which the illusion of the image was created. Depicting himself standing at the canvas, Velázquez reminds the viewer that this is an illusion created by paint. The paint on the palette that he holds, which is paint creating the illusion of paint, is a particularly clever touch.

Las Meninas is an enigmatic work that continues to puzzle and delight viewers. Any interpretation of this painting has to work through several layers of subject matter, both depicted and implied. There is the painting that we see in the gallery of Museo del Prado, and there is the painting we don’t see that Velázquez is working on. One of the themes explored in Las Meninas is placement. Where are we in relationship to what we see? What is our place? But this question of place has an additional meaning. In the 17th century, the Spanish court (and society more broadly) was highly stratified. Everyone had a social place, and everyone was expected to know, and stay in, his or her social place. In that context, the painting’s deliberate spatial complexity highlights these relationships.

Painted for the king, this work was intended to remind His Majesty of Velázquez’s years of faithful service. The painting’s calculated and self-conscious structure does not undermine the social structure of the court. But although Velázquez was a loyal subject of his king, the work does evidence the artist’s yearning to rise within that society. Velázquez was not part of the nobility, and artists were not generally considered to have a social status above that of a laborer. And yet, because of his unique skill (on display in Las Meninas), Velázquez did manage to improve his position. Three years after completing this painting, Velázquez was made a knight in the Order of Santiago (Saint James). The artist then went back to this work and painted the Cross of Saint James on his chest. He died the following year.

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Las Meninas (The Ladies-in-Waiting)

This is an oil painting. Centered in the painting is a young girl clothed in a hoop-skirted, light-colored gown. There are two older girls, one on either side of her, also dressed in hooped gowns. All of the girls have flowers fastened in their hair. The central girl’s hair is long and blonde. The older girls have hair that is darker and shorter. The older girl on the left is kneeling and holding the younger girl’s right hand. The girl on the right is standing, slightly bent toward the younger girl. To the right of this girl are two children, gazing out at the viewer. In front of them is a dog lying on the floor. To the left of the kneeling girl is a man holding a paintbrush. He looks out at the viewer. In the background is the reflection of a man and woman in a mirror, a man standing in a doorway on steps leading up, and a man and woman.

Click to enlarge

Peter Horree/Alamy

Short-Answer Question

Why do you think that the painting is titled Las Meninas (The Ladies-in- Waiting)?

No response saved yet. Short-Answer Question

How does the placement or arrangement of the figures in the painting affect where you as the viewer imagine yourself in relationship to the

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subject?

No response saved yet. Short-Answer Question

Does the image of the reflection of the king and queen, two figures who are outside the depicted space of the painting, change the relationship that you imagine for yourself in relation to the subject?

No response saved yet. Short-Answer Question

In the 17th century, a painting (which is of course only paint applied to a flat canvas surface) was expected to create a convincing illusion of three- dimensional space and figures acting within that space. What are some ways in which Las Meninas succeeds in creating that illusion?

No response saved yet. Short-Answer Question

Part of the fame of Las Meninas lies in Velázquez’s own self-consciousness of the inherent illusion of his painting. What are some ways in which the artist makes viewers aware that they are looking at an illusion?

No response saved yet.

Response Board The painting captures only a single moment, but there are hints at possible moments before and after this one (such as the ambiguous depiction of the man in the doorway, who is either coming or going). What do you think might happen next?

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Short-Answer Question

How does Velázquez inject a hint of humor or playfulness into an otherwise very formal setting?

No response saved yet.

Response Board There are many details in this large painting that the viewer might not immediately notice. Some of the details are not central to the narrative, but instead are placed there by the artist to reward the viewer’s repeated study of the painting. As you take another look at the work, what are some details that you might not have noticed before?

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Response Board Imagine yourself in a depicted space of the painting or in the implied place of the king and queen. What sorts of sounds might you hear there? Is the court a hushed and formal place, or is it a more private space where some noises or conversations might be heard?

No response saved yet.

Response Board Would you like to be a member of the Spanish court, perhaps as the court painter? Explain why or why not.

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Share your thoughts with your peers...

Share your thoughts with your peers...

Share your thoughts with your peers...