Laura Estrada Gmez-Acebo

Pre-Primary Education, URJC

VELAZQUEZ
Contents
Velazquez ................................................................................................................. 2
Paintings .................................................................................................................. 2
Philip IV .................................................................................................................. 2
Las Meninas .............................................................................................................. 2
............................................................................................................................. 3
El bufn don Sebastian de Morra ................................................................................ 7
Baltasar a caballo .................................................................................................... 8
Enano con un perro.................................................................................................. 9
ACTIVITIES ................................................................................................................ 10
Before visiting the museum: ........................................................................................ 10
Activity 1 ............................................................................................................ 10
Activity 2. ........................................................................................................... 10
Activity 3. ........................................................................................................... 10
Activity 4. ........................................................................................................... 10
Meanwhile we visit the museum ................................................................................... 11
Activity 1 ............................................................................................................ 11
Activity 2: ........................................................................................................... 11
Activity 3: ........................................................................................................... 12
After visiting the museum: .......................................................................................... 12
Activity 2: ........................................................................................................... 13
Activity 3: ........................................................................................................... 13
Activity 4: ........................................................................................................... 14
Activity 5: ........................................................................................................... 14
Activity 6: ........................................................................................................... 14

Velazquez
Diego Rodriguez de Silva y Velazquez was a Spanish painter
who was the leading artist in the court of King Philip IV. His
paintings include landscapes, mythological and religious
subjects, and scenes from common life. He gave the best of
his talents to painting portraits, which capture the
appearance of reality through the seemingly effortless
handling of sensuous paint. At his final decade, Velzquez's
handling of paint became increasingly free and luminous.

Paintings

Philip IV

Velzquez was paid for this noble portrait of King Philip IV of Spain. The picture
was commissioned by an important person at court, Don Garca Prez de Araciel,
and is an autograph repetition of the official portrait Velzquez had painted for
the king; a workshop copy belongs to the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. Philip is
shown wearing a gold chain and the emblem of the Order of the Golden Fleece.
The hands and face are in fairly good condition, but the background and costume
have suffered badly.

Las Meninas
Las Meninasis a 1656 painting by Diego Velzquez, the leading artist of the Spanish Golden
Age, in the Museo del Prado in Madrid. The work's complex and enigmatic composition raises
questions about reality and illusion, and creates an uncertain relationship between the viewer and
the figures depicted. Because of these complexities, Las Meninas has been one of the most
widely analyzed works in Western painting.

The painting shows a large room in the Royal Alcazar of Madrid during the reign of King Philip
IV of Spain, and presents several figures, most identifiable from the Spanish court, captured,
according to some commentators, in a particular moment as Some look out of the canvas
towards the viewer, while others interact among themselves. The young Infanta Margaret
Theresa is surrounded by her entourage of maids of honour, chaperone, bodyguard, two dwarfs
and a dog. Just behind them, Velzquez portrays himself working at a large canvas. Velzquez
looks outwards, beyond the pictorial space to where a viewer of the painting would stand. In the
background there is a mirror that reflects the upper bodies of the king and queen. They appear to
be placed outside the picture space in a position similar to that of the viewer, although some
scholars have speculated that their image is a reflection from the painting Velzquez is shown
working on.
Las Meninas has long been recognised as one of the most important paintings in Western art
history. The Baroque painter Luca Giordano said that it represents the "theology of painting" and
in 1827 president of the R.A. Sir Thomas Lawrence described the work in a letter to his
successor David Wilkie as "the true philosophy of the art". More recently, it has been described
as "Velzquez's supreme achievement, a highly self-conscious, calculated demonstration of what
painting could achieve, and perhaps the most searching comment ever made on the possibilities
of the easel painting".

Key to the people represented:
Las Meninas is set in Velzquez's studio in Philip IV's Alczar palace in Madrid. The high-
ceilinged room is presented, in the words of Silvio Gaggi, as "a simple box that could be divided
into a perspective grid with a single vanishing point". In the centre of the foreground stands the
Infanta Margaret Theresa (1). The five-year-old infanta, who later married Holy Roman Emperor
Leopold I, was at this point Philip and Mariana's only surviving child.
]
She is attended by two
ladies-in-waiting, or meninas: doa Isabel de Velasco (2), who is poised to curtsy to the princess,
and doa Mara Agustina Sarmiento de Sotomayor (3), who kneels before Margaret Theresa,
offering her a drink from a red cup, or bucaro, that she holds on a golden tray. To the right of the
Infanta are two dwarfs: the achondroplastic German, Maribarbola (4) (Maria Barbola), and the
Italian, Nicolas Pertusato (5), who playfully tries to rouse a sleepy mastiff with his foot. Behind
them stands doa Marcela de Ulloa (6), the princess's chaperone, dressed in mourning and
talking to an unidentified bodyguard (or guardadamas) (7).

To the rear and at right stands Don Jos Nieto Velzquez (8)the queen's chamberlain during
the 1650s, and head of the royal tapestry workswho may have been a relative of the artist.
Nieto is shown pausing, with his right knee bent and his feet on different steps. As the art critic
Harriet Stone observes, it is uncertain whether he is "coming or going". He is rendered in
silhouette and appears to hold open a curtain on a short flight of stairs, with an unclear wall or
space behind. Both this backlight and the open doorway reveal space behind: in the words of the
art historian Analisa Leppanen, they lure "our eyes inescapably into the depths". The royal
couple's reflection pushes in the opposite direction, forward into the picture space. The vanishing
point of the perspective is in the doorway, as can be shown by extending the line of the meeting
of wall and ceiling on the right. Nieto is seen only by the king and queen, who share the viewer's
point of view, and not by the figures in the foreground. In the footnotes of Joel Snyder's article,
the author recognizes that Nieto is the queen's attendant and was required to be at hand to open
and close doors for her. Snyder suggests that Nieto appears in the doorway so that the king and
queen might depart. In the context of the painting, Snyder argues that the scene is the end of the
royal couple's sitting for Velzquez and they are preparing to exit, explaining that is "why the
menina to the right of the Infanta begins to curtsy".
Velzquez himself (9) is pictured to the left of the scene, looking outward past a large canvas
supported by an easel. On his chest is the red cross of the Order of Santiago, which he did not
receive until 1659, three years after the painting was completed. According to Palomino, Philip
ordered this to be added after Velzquez's death, "and some say that his Majesty himself painted
it". From the painter's belt hang the symbolic keys of his court offices.
A mirror on the back wall reflects the upper bodies and heads of two figures identified from
other paintings, and by Palomino, as King Philip IV (10) and Queen Mariana (11). The most
common assumption is that the reflection shows the couple in the pose they are holding for
Velzquez as he paints them, while their daughter watches; and that the painting therefore shows
their view of the scene.
Detail of the mirror hung on the back wall, showing the reflected images of Philip IV and his
wife, Mariana of Austria
Of the nine figures depicted, five are looking directly out at the royal couple or the viewer. Their
glances, along with the king and queen's reflection, affirm the royal couple's presence outside the
painted space. Alternatively, art historians H. W. Janson and Joel Snyder suggest that the image
of the king and queen is a reflection from Velzquez's canvas, the front of which is obscured
from the viewer. Other writers say the canvas Velzquez is painting is unusually large for a
portrait by Velzquez, and is about the same size as Las Meninas. Las Meninas contains the only
known double portrait of the royal couple painted by Velzquez.
The point of view of the picture is approximately that of the royal couple, though this has been
widely debated. Many critics suppose that the scene is viewed by the king and queen as they
pose for a double portrait, while the Infanta and her companions are present only to relieve their
boredom. Leo Steinberg suggests that the King and Queen are to the left of the viewer and the
reflection in the mirror is that of the canvas, a portrait of the king and queen. Others speculate
that Velzquez represents himself painting the Infanta Margaret Theresa. No single theory has
found universal agreement.
The back wall of the room, which is in shadow, is hung with rows of paintings, including one of
a series of scenes from Ovid's Metamorphoses by Peter Paul Rubens, and copies, by Velzquez's
son-in-law and principal assistant Juan del Mazo, of works by Jacob Jordaens. The paintings are
shown in the exact positions recorded in an inventory taken around this time. The wall to the
right is hung with a grid of eight smaller paintings, visible mainly as frames owing to their angle
from the viewer. They can be identified from the inventory as more Mazo copies of paintings
from the Rubens Ovid series, though only two of the subjects can be seen.
The paintings on the back wall are recognized as representing
Minerva Punishing Arachne and Apollo's Victory Over
Marsyas. Both stories involve Minerva, the Goddess of
Wisdom and patron of the arts. These two legends are both
stories of mortals challenging gods and the dreadful
consequences. One scholar points out that the legend dealing
with two women, Minerva and Arachne, is on the same side of
the mirror as the queen's reflection while the male legend is on
the side of the king.
Velzquez further emphasises the Infanta by his positioning and lighting of her maids of honour,
whom he sets opposing one another: to left and right, before and behind the Infanta. The maid to
the left faces the light, her brightly lit profile and sleeve creating a diagonal. Her opposite
number creates a broader but less defined reflection of her attention, making a diagonal space
between them, in which their charge stands protected.
A further internal diagonal passes through the space occupied by the Infanta. There is a similar
connection between the female dwarf and the figure of Velzquez himself, both of whom look
towards the viewer from similar angles, creating a visual tension. The face of Velzquez is dimly
lit by light that is reflected, rather than direct. For this reason his features, though not as sharply
defined, are more visible than those of the dwarf who is much nearer the light source. This
appearance of a total face, full-on to the viewer, draws the attention, and its importance is
marked, tonally, by the contrasting frame of dark hair, the light on the hand and brush, and the
skilfully placed triangle of light on the artist's sleeve, pointing directly to the face.


El bufn don Sebastian de Morra
Another painting of Velzquez is El bufn don Sebastin
de Morra. The date of this oil on canvas painting is often
placed around 1643-1644. Sebastin de Morra was a dwarf
and jester to the court of Philip IV of Spain. He was the
servant of the Kings eldest son and heir, the teenage Prince
Baltasar Carlos. Its known that the Prince had he a great
affection.
These unfortunate people were often found at courts in the
Middle Ages and were given shelter in return for their
services as court jesters, a position which left them open to
offensive remarks and practical jokes. It was their lot in life
to accept such unkindness and had just to be thankful that they had a roof over their heads.

Against a dark background we see the figure of the dwarf, Don Sebastin. There is a lack of
elegance in the way he sits on the ground. He is leaning slightly to one side. His foreshortened
legs stick out and he reminds us somewhat of a puppet which has been abandoned and his strings
released by his puppeteer master. His tightly clenched hands rest on his thighs. He looks intently
out at us making us feel slightly guilty that we are staring in at him. There is sadness in his dark
eyes, which is contrary to his role as a jester, when his sole aim was to exude happiness and make
people laugh. Maybe his expression is to remind us, lest we forget or are swayed by his opulent
attire, that his life is not full of fun. Although he displays a dignified air, he also looks tormented
and gloomy.
He wears a plush red and gold cape with a flamenco lace collar over a buttoned green doublet. His
clothing, although splendid, cannot conceal from us his menial position in the court and this is
emphasised even more by the fact that this sad diminutive figure is seated on the bare ground and
not within the opulence of a court setting.
The brushwork is very loose, using patches of color and light. The painting emphasizes the feeling
of painters solidarity with the suffering of another. Velzquez aims to reflect on the human
condition. This is definitely one of the best portraits painted by Velzquez.

Baltasar a caballo

Velzquez had been commissioned to paint a series
of equestrian portraits who would go to the Hall of
Realms in the Buen Retiro Palace in Madrid. These
works were hung with portraits of Philip IV on
horseback and his wife Isabella of Bourbon.

The equestrian paintings of Velazquez are
considered one of the best of the history or pictures
art. One of them is the one on prince Baltasar
Carlos, the son of Felipe IV, which represents the
figure of a charming boy on horseback of a
magnificent horse, that represents the hope of a heir
to the throne, that finally frustrated by his
premature death at 17 years old.

Enano con un perro

This beautiful portrait is surrounded by controversy, both
with regard to the artist and the model. It was considered a
painting by Velzquez in the royal inventories but in 1925
Allende-Salazar suggested that it was actually by Juan
Carreo de Miranda, or that it could have been painted
by Juan Bautista Martnez del Mazo. Today it is simply
considered a painting by Velzquez's workshop, without
any further specification. It was excluding the catalogue of
works by Velzquez and Jos Lpez-Rey Jonathan Brown
as apparently most of the critics, tend to be considered by
the workshop of Velzquez, or simply influenced by him as
his technique is concerned but while pointing to
inaccuracies in their execution, such as in the conception of space Regarding the model, Pedro de
Madrazo believes he is Don Antonio "el Ingls", a dwarf given to Philip III by the Duke of
Windsor. However, the dwarf died before 1617 making this possibility unlikely. Nicolas Hodson
and Antonio Mascareli were then considered. The figure is depicted holding on to a large
mastiff, looking at the spectator somewhat distrustfully, and the fact that he is accompanied by a
dog suggests he was rather an anxious person. The two figures are silhouetted against an
undetermined background, emphasizing the ochre and white tones of the dwarf's suit and the
black colour of the dog. The brushwork is vigorous and impacted, without paying attention to
details and thus coinciding with Velzquez's style from the 1650s.
The work of Velzquez conception in composition and apparently unfinished, is loose and pasty
executed in the manner of Velzquez stroke but with shorter strokes and careless than usual in the
master.

ACTIVITIES

Before visiting the museum:

Activity 1

To Knock up a story:
We have to show the kids one of the pictures that we are going to see
in the museum. Then we have to ask them about the picture, for
example. What they think the person in the picture has had for
breakfast.
In this way the kids, will remember the painting because of the weird
story that they have knocked up.

Activity 2.

Join the numbers to discover the picture

Activity 3.

Unmixed puzzles

Activity 4.

Make a table
The first thing that we have to do is to ask them how they should behave in the museum and we
can write these things in the first line, if we think they forget something important we can also
write it.
The second thing that we have to do is make some groups and each group have to choose one of
the pictures that we will see in the museum.
Whit all this information we have to do a chart like this:

Felipe IV
group

Bufn group
Baltasar a
caballo
group

Enano group

We will use this chart in the museum

Meanwhile we visit the museum

Activity 1

Start outside the museum, telling a story or something interesting

Activity 2:

Similitude and differences
Teacher is going to show the children one different version of las meninas.
They are supposed to find the differences between the real picture in the museum and the picture
that we have given them.















Activity 3:

Quiz groups:
They have to complete the charts looking at what are the others groups doing, for example if they
are shouting they have to write it, they can put a sad face or if they are doing something well
they can put a happy face.
We have to explain them that they have to pay attention to the explanation; they shouldnt write
during the explanation, they can do it after it or when the visit has finished

After visiting the museum:

Activity 1
Picassso Vs. Velazquez
We are supposed to give the children two different pictures, Picassos Meninas and the original
Meninas.
The children have to recognize the characters in both pictures and make differences between them.



Activity 2:

To reinvent the story
Based on the first story and knowing the real facts about the picture they have to reinvent the
picture and they have to compare the two stories. In this way they will realize how important is to
know things about art and the painters emotions.

Activity 3:

Drawing filled with plasticine:
We give children a drawing, for example one menina, and they have to fill it with plasticine. We
can give them a picture to look at the colors, or they can paint it with the colors they want.









Activity 4:

Mixed puzzles

Activity 5:

Different paintings of Velzquez
We show children several paintings of Velazquez, some we have seen and some we havent seen,
and they have to say which of them they have seen in the museum. Its better we put similar
pictures in order to see if they have taken notice of the details of the painting.

Activity 6:

Make our museum