In this article we are going to give you information about the Velazquez paintings, one of the most famous painters of the 130th century, who made around 22 works, including XNUMX works that he painted in the Baroque style. Keep reading and find out everything!
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 artistic work is among Velázquez's paintings as one of the most studied paintings of all time. At present, the main origin of informative advice comes from what was recorded by the writer of treatises and painter Antonio Palomino who was born in the year 1655 and died in the year 1726. This painter was the one who investigated every detail from the biographies to the paintings of the artists as well as the symbology, the technique and the history.
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.
What is relevant about this artistic work is that it establishes a before and after in the professional life of the painter. This is because it was the first mythological work in Velázquez's paintings in which he was beginning with this genre. After this work he continued until the end of his life with this theme.
The ability for different paintings was recovered after years in the city of Seville as an expert in making portraits and paintings with religious themes. For which Velázquez's paintings came to have a great diversity.
The focus that the lighting makes on the main character and the companions that are around him. Which the protagonist stands out for all the exceptional equipment that makes the game of light and shadow contrasts to the other characters. The natural mixes with the real and the idea of something mythological. This combination gives this painting a wonderful and unique condition 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 the work of "Las meninas", so it can be said that among all the paintings by Velázquez, this painting is the most complicated that this painter has done in his entire life. That is why this work over time has had the goal of interpreting it in different ways. From these simple perspectives that estimate and give value to the artistic and beautiful.
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 artistic work is made up of two planes on stage, firstly in the front part you can see five figures of women spinning, which are dressed in the clothes of that time. Then in the back of the work five more mysterious figures are seen, who are communicating and interacting with each other while they scrutinize and visualize a canvas that has 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 has a chiaroscuro contrast, which shows the face of one of the apostles. But since the canvas is cut out, it is not possible to know exactly which figure in the Bible it is. Although they are sure of something and it is that it is not Saint Paul and much less 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 quite sure, though some say his brushstrokes and the way he used his technique match. Like the aesthetics that the artist used in all his paintings.
Coronation of the Virgin
Being one of Velázquez's paintings that has an allegory as a genre. It is a type of painting with Baroque style and oil technique with canvas support. This work is from the year 1644 and is located in the Prado Museum, in the city of 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 biblical scene genre work. With a 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 paints a picture with his own interpretation of the bible verse.
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 on one side of the royal palace in the city of Madrid, in Spain. The magnificence of the country light that it can have on its own is captured on the canvas, with jungle tree plants in the back and in the drying rack that is at the entrance.
The figure or characters that appear on the scene are apparently taking advantage of a day of fun and entertainment. This work is composed in a very simple way and is focused on the source, which is why it is considered with the 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 among Velázquez's paintings as a portrait and measures 127 cm x 107 cm. This painting was made in 1659 and is currently located in the Museum of Art History 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 that he painted on this occasion military scene. Which in Velázquez's paintings can be seen many with the same theme. This painting is also known as Las Lanzas, its measurements are 307 cm x 367 cm, and it was issued in 1635.
This work of art represents a historical era of the combatants, in which they manage to obtain the victory of the Spanish troops of King Felipe IV over the landowners in the Netherlands. The attitude that was generated in a friendly way in the figures of the painting means that the fight ended in a good way on the part of the Spanish army that had an irreproachable surrender.
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 document written by the bishop of Italian origin Santiago de la Vorágine who was born in the year 1230 and died in the year 1298. The description of the characters in the foreground is the next San Antonio is dressed in brown and San Pablo in white, above them a raven is flying 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
So is the name in the English language The Rokeby Venus or The Toilet of Venus. The genre of the work is Mythological painting, the painting measures about 122,5 cm x 177 cm. It was worked in 1649 and is located in the National Gallery, London. This work deals with an artistic nude that was apparently the only nude of a woman in all of Velázquez's paintings that he has done.
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 relates that the goddess of beauty Venus. This goddess poses while she looks at herself in the mirror, which implies the idea of great beauty in the female body. With a setting in grace the woman is seen lying on her side on top of the sheets and turning her back on her, the goddess Venus sees the observer through a mirror that is being 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 is based on one of the first formal Velázquez paintings that he did. It is considered as the still life genre, which stands out for the different tools that I use and the textures included such as boiling oil, bronze-colored mortar, fabrics, vegetables, stains, wood, metals, ceramics and wicker. . Every detail he placed was with every intention of demonstrating 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 painter of the Baroque era, many people have considered him to be a fabulous artist with a lot of talent. So Velázquez's paintings were giving him the importance he deserved for being the best of all time after two centuries of his death. Velázquez's most renowned paintings are currently collected in the Prado Museum.
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