The Characters of Las Meninas
In 1656, Diego VelĂĄzquez made history by completing his painting, Las Meninas. It would become globally recognized as one of the greatest paintings of all time. The art work maintains a timelessness, mesmerizing generation to generation of onlookers. Las Meninas is a conglomerate of self-portrait, royal portrait and genreâ a grand demonstration of the great possibilities of the art form. It is a spectacle of mastery, filled with mysteries and puzzles to contemplate and be inspired by. The paintingâs characters, including the artist himself cary rich stories in their places in history. The history embedded in the painting is what has captivated me the most.
Diego VelĂĄzquez himself is featured in the painting posed in front of an easel equipped with brush and paint, gazing at the viewer. He was born in Spain in the year of 1599 in Seville, Spain. At the age of eleven he began an apprenticeship with local painter, Francisco Pacheco. Young Diego learned very quickly and soon passed his teacher in skill, to which Pacheco gave his daughter to him impressed by his virtue and talent. VelĂĄzquez and his new wife, Juana then moved to Madrid where with the help of his father-in-lawâs connections broke entry into wealthy and powerful circles. He quickly became popular for his spectacular royal portraits and was eventually able to paint for the king. King Philip IV was so impressed with his craftsmanship that he vowed to never pose for another painter and admitted VelĂĄzquez to his court. Just like that VelĂĄzquez became the official painter of the Spanish Royal Family. He was beloved by King Philip IV firstly for his exceptional skill in painting his portraits and then eventually as a close friend. The room in which Las Meninas is hosted in is Diegoâs private studio in the royal castle. Diego was given the luxury of being inspired by other great painters in the court and by trips to Italy where he was influenced greatly. In Las Meninas, a red signia glows on the chest of VelĂĄzquez. Much later after the initial painting of LM, Diego VelĂĄzquez died shortly after being inducted into the Catholic organization the Order of Santiago. After hearing the news, King Philip ordered that the the Orderâs insignia be painted onto his chest in the painting. Some even claim the king did it himself.
Princess Margaret is in the center of the painting being attended to by her two ladies in waiting. Young Margaret was the last remaining child of the king and queen. She was a healthy and bright child despite the consanguinity of her parents. She was loved greatly by her parents and the royal court, nicknamed âlittle angelâ and referred to as âmy joyâ by her father. She would later be given away to her uncle, The Holy Roman Emperor Leopold I, who had the same strikingly huge lips, nose and eyes as her father. The marriage was purely a political move but reportedly was happy due to their common interests. They fondly referred to one another as uncle and niece, which is slightly cute but mostly disturbing. During her six years of marriage she gave birth to four children, only one of them survived. She would later grow to become extremely anti-semitic and blame the deaths of her children on the presence of Jews in the country. Â She encouraged her husband to destroy their temples and drive them out of Vienna. At the early age of 21 she became ill with Bronchitis during her last pregnancy. Due to the frequent miscarriages and prematurely dead babies she was not strong enough to fight the illness and died. Being the only heir to the Spanish throne she passed the legacy to her only living daughter who then passed it to her son. Her husband quickly remarried even though referring to her as âhis only Margaretâ to his second of three wives, Claudia Felicitas of Austria.
To the far right of the young princess are two dwarves of the court, one male and one female. Dwarves were highly sought after in royal circles, they were frequently given as gifts and were seen as a luxurious commodity. A dwarf was often given as an expensive gift, like a pet. Royalty favoured being served, entertained, and surrounded by them because it made royalty seem even larger, beautiful and powerful. There is a popular theme amongst accounts of dwarves in the royal court of mischievousness and wild antics. Many were beloved as a source of entertainment and were nearly encouraged to act wild. There are recorded accounts of people attempting to breed dwarves for commodity. Some even went as far as attempting to stunt the growth of children, turning them into dwarves by mutilating their tendons and muscles.
In the lit doorway stands Don José Nieto Velåzquez, the chamberlain to the queen and the keeper of royal tapestries. Looming behind the children are a nun, Doña Marcela de Ulloa and an unidentified bodyguard to the princess.
Covering the back walls of the studio are two famous paintings by Peter Paul Rubens, one where a god challenges a man to a flute playing contest and the other with a goddess challenging a woman to a basket weaving contest. The placement of these paintings are very symbolic and intentional. They are to symbolize the holiness of skill and mastery, revering art as coming from a godly source. In Diegoâs time, painting did not hold the place of reverence and respect that other art forms such as poetry and music did. At the height of his talent and career, here In LM, Diego paints about painting itself. He creates this spectacular work of art showcasing to the world the power of paintâ one can see this attitude in the eyes of Diego in the painting, he is looking to the viewer with a bold, comfortable confidence of a master at work. This painting elevated the craft of painting, generating popularity and respect for the art-form.
