Diego Velazquez (Diego Rodriguez de Silva Velazquez): creativity and biography (photo)

Diego Velazquez
The most striking representative of the Spanish painting of the "golden" century is the artist-realist Diego Velazquez. His work was significantly different from others in its penetration into the character of the model, rich and subtle color, and a heightened sense of harmony. It was he who laid the foundations of a psychological portrait in European art . Biographers claimed that many sciences were easily given to Diego. He began to assemble the library early, as in early childhood he learned to read. It is she who testifies to Velazquez interested in studying many sciences, but painting is still the most alluring for him.

Childhood

In the city of Seville, on the sixth of June, 1599, Velázquez Diego de Silva was born into a wealthy but noble family of Jews who converted to Christianity. He was the eldest of eight children in the family. According to the widespread Andalusian custom, Diego and his brother (also an artist) took the surname of their mother. The future fate of the boy was largely determined by the fact that his father was a native of Portugal. First, Diego, like other male children, was sent to a Latin monastery school.

But at the age of nine, the child's art abilities were already clearly pronounced, so his father gave his artist Herrera, who was popular at that time in Spain, to study at the studio. The fact of the chosen profession became a challenge for the local aristocracy, since the profession of the artist was considered an unworthy occupation of the nobleman. The character of the teacher was unbearable, because of this Velazquez did not learn long from this master, and a year later the boy worked in the studio of Francisco Pacheco, a wonderful teacher who adores antiquity.

In the house of Pacheco

Diego Velazquez remained in the Pacheco workshop until receiving the title of master at the age of eighteen. It is thanks to the advice of his teacher that he improves the ability to accurately reproduce nature. Here, the work of Diego Velazquez is represented by the following paintings: “Immaculate Conception”, “Breakfast”, “Dinner at Emmaus”, “Old Cook”, “Water Carrier”, “Adoration of the Magi”, “Christ in the House of Martha and Mary”, “Musicians”.

Diego Velazquez the forge of the volcano
After graduation, the mentor, who was attracted by virtue, purity, genius, as well as other positive qualities of his student, married his only daughter, sixteen-year-old Juan Miranda. During the first three years of marriage, the young couple had two daughters. At the age of twenty-one, Diego Velazquez opened his own workshop. In the artist's early work, interest in representatives of the common people is noticeable. He portrays proud Andalusian ladies, gray-haired old men, cheerful boys and young Spanish people. Along with other Spanish creators, Diego turns to biblical subjects, but they do not occupy a large place in the author's life. As a rule, these paintings are not mystical in color, but rather resemble everyday scenes.

Moving to Madrid

Having replaced the entire court environment of his father, the young (sixteen years old) ruler Philip the Fourth found out that a talented Spanish artist Velazquez lived in Seville, who was immediately called to the palace.

At the age of 24, Diego arrives in Madrid with his father-in-law. Here, Prime Minister Olivares becomes his patron. The portrait of the young King Philip IV, painted by the artist, is a great success, after which he is awarded the title of court artist. But, unfortunately, this work did not reach our times.

Portrait art

Velazquez Diego paintings
Now Diego Velazquez, whose biography acquires brighter colors, is no longer dependent on casual earnings. Front apartments are allotted to him in one of the wings of the palace, and in the suburbs, in one of the castles, he has a spacious workshop. The monarch himself had the key to it, every day he loved to watch the work of the creator. The only drawback of such a life was the limitation of the themes of the paintings that Velazquez Diego created. Portrait for many years becomes its main genre. The king himself and his children were repeatedly written in the works of the artist. Especially often portrayed was the infante Margarita, the royal daughter. Portraits have come down to our time, in which changes in the face are visible as it grows and grows up.

Diego Velazquez gained stunning success, a sign of bad taste was the lack of a portrait of his work. As a result, a large number of images of courtiers and politicians appeared, as well as a gallery of prominent representatives of Spanish culture.

The Expulsion of the Morisks

But not only worship was inspired by Diego's work, the envy of the most respected artists led to a conflict due to the fact that the young creator did not take into account academic traditions. As a result of this, at the insistence of his "senior comrades," a contest was organized, for which the 28-year-old author wrote the historical big picture "The Expulsion of the Mariski". It is dedicated to the expulsion from the country of all residents of Arab origin, the most tragic part of the country's history.

The delight caused by the work that Diego Velazquez did. Paintings, the description of which corresponded to their official purpose, hanging in one of the palace halls, was replenished with this sharp, full of expression, masterpiece. After several weeks, he was ordered to be transferred to the place where the king’s favorite paintings were located - the mirror hall.

As for the author himself, he received a high, equivalent chamberlain, the position of keeper of the royal door. Envy and hostility did not in any way affect the human qualities of Velazquez. He retained inner freedom from the whims of the Spanish nobility. Unfortunately, this picture has not survived to the present day.

Antique plots

Velazquez Diego, whose paintings are unusual for domestic traditions, by the age of thirty is completing work on such an antique masterpiece as “The Drunkards” or “Bacchus”. The painting depicts the rite of passage into the brotherhood of this god. Here a bolder choice of types and realistic characteristics of declassified representatives of society of that time are already observed. Everything was done masterfully, like modern theater and literature depicting recklessness, bitterness and fun. But in general, the artist respects the optimism and vitality of his people.

It was the antique plot that allowed him to break with the already traditional domestic interior scene. Thanks to the action in nature, the lighting becomes smoother and the colors richer. But the contrasts of shadow and light are still very strong, so the foreground is slightly heavy, since this method is new to the author. And the creator will acquire more perfect possession later.

Trip to Italy. Diego Velazquez: "Forge of the Volcano"

Diego Velazquez painting description
By permission of the king and, possibly, the advice of Rubens, together with the famous commander Ambrosio Spinola Velazquez visits the neighboring peninsula, where he copies the paintings and frescoes of eminent masters, gets acquainted with the ancient sculpture and art of his contemporaries. Such a trip significantly broadened Diego's horizons and contributed to the improvement of skill. During this period, Diego Velazquez worked very fruitfully. "Forge of the Volcano" was written by him in the capital of Italy. The interpretation of the mythological plot here is very original. The author depicted the moment when Vulcan (the god of fire) received from Apollo a message about the betrayal of his wife (Venus).

In this work, earthliness is completely absent, but the irony of the creator is clearly noticeable here. Despite the radiance of Apollo, his image is very prosaic. The volcano and its assistants are also represented by living people who are not distinguished by divine beauty.

This country gave Velazquez a lot, his painting became more perfect and mature, dark shadows and sharp lines disappeared, the landscape background became very significant.

"Surrender of Delirium"

In all its splendor, the artist presented his own mastery in a single battle canvas - “Surrender of Delirium”. It depicts the event of the fall of the Dutch fortress of Breda, besieged by the Spaniards. Her commandant Justin Nassauski handed the keys to the Spanish commander Spinole.

Together they are depicted in the center of the canvas. Bent by the severity of the defeat, Nassau rushes to the winner with the key in his hand. On the other hand, the Spaniards are crowded in black armor, and slender spears create a feeling of superior power and strength of the Spanish detachment.

Velazquez Diego de Silva
Due to the novelty of the artistic decision, as well as the veracity of the image of a historical event, this picture became a revelation for its time.

But still portraits are the leading genre in the work of Velazquez. They have become more diverse in their pictorial solution and composition. All this is combined with picturesque freedom and exceptional persuasiveness in the interpretation of landscapes. Over the course of a decade, the master created a series of portraits of buffoons and dwarfs. The painting written on the Venus and Cupid plot forbidden by the Inquisition with the rarest image of a naked female body in Spanish painting dates back to the same time.

Pictures of religious content. Visit to Rome

The Spanish king for the monastery of San Placido ordered Diego painting. This work, entitled “The Crucifixion of Christ,” brought the author overwhelming success, and her composition is surprisingly simple. The image of Christ does not have a landscape background, and the author tried to minimally express the suffering on his face. Proportions, though ideal, are different from muscular canons. The picture creates an atmosphere of deep reflection and absolute silence.

Along with this artist, other paintings of similar content were also painted. Velazquez Diego, whose paintings have already been glorified, is again visiting Italy. The works created here brought the creator even greater popularity. The most striking example is the “Portrait of Pope Innocent X”, which is of particular importance due to the extraordinary skill of painting, deep psychology and the sharpness of the characteristic.

The pontiff is depicted sitting in a chair in a pose filled with hidden tension. Penetrates the figure and gives it a lively dominant red tone, especially intense in the hot light. Not trying to ennoble the ugly face of the Pope, the author depicted his tenacious and heavy look, temperament and inner strength. It is not a clergyman who appears before the viewer, but rather a secular ruler - smart, energetic, cunning, vicious and cruel.

Despite the generous reward for the portrait, Innocent found him too true, and due to a letter from Philip, who was afraid to lose the artist, Diego Velazquez (whose brief biography does not miss a single significant event in his life) returns to his homeland. After that, the king elevates him to the highest position in the state - the marshal, after which the artist receives full independence.

"Menin"

Picture of Diego Velazquez Menin
During this period, the main paintings of the author are considered large-scale compositions “The Myth of Arachne” and “Menin”.

The greatest creation of Diego is the painting "Menin". This word itself refers to a girl belonging to an aristocratic family who holds the post of maid of honor of the Spanish infantry. The composition of this work is very unusual.

The artist depicted one of the rooms of the royal palace - large and gloomy. In the left part of it, on a stretcher, he stands near a large canvas and paints a portrait of the king’s family. The viewer can see her reflection in the mirror behind the creator. In the center of the room, surrounded by dwarfs and two raspberries, is Margarita, a charming little infant. Behind them are the figures of the gentleman and the court lady, and behind the open door in the background - the queen's marshal.

Of the European artists, Velazquez was the first to show the backstage life of the royal court. The little infant and maids of honor are depicted with great expressiveness. One of them, according to etiquette, kneels in front of Margarita, serving her a glass of water. The dwarf seems agile and pushes the big dog, and the fat dwarf froze in a daze.

It is rather difficult to determine the genre in which Diego Velazquez's painting “Menins” is written. Here combined the elements of a group portrait, and everyday scenes. Masterfully, the author conveyed the space beyond the canvas, filling it with light and air from an open window.

The Myth of Arachne

The pinnacle of the artist’s creative skill is the work “Spin” dedicated to the working people of Spain. This painting is the first in the history of Western European painting that told about a simple man, his work.

The composition of the picture contains two independent scenes. In the gloomy weaving workshop, spinners are shown in the foreground, who are busy with their work. In the middle, a young worker picks up skeins of wool from the floor, kneeling down. On the right there is another spin, she spools a thread made of wool into a tight ball. The author prescribed it in a very large and realistic way, and he conveys confidence and accuracy of movements by means of the image of large hands with rolled up sleeves and a wide back. Another woman is watching the work of this spin. And on the left by the wooden loom, a tired weaver sits in a shawl casually thrown over her head and talks to her assistant. At her bare feet lies a cat. In the background, behind a pushed red heavy curtain, ready-made tapestries, stacked in a pile, are visible. The scene is depicted unvarnished, mundane, but the spinning wheel of the machine tool and coloriness give it the necessary dynamism.

Spanish artist Velazquez
In the background are two court ladies looking at a carpet hanging on the wall, the bright and clear colors of which give this part of the room a sense of solemn and fabulous performance. On the finished tapestry, Diego depicted the ending of the legend about Arachne, but not the girl's transformation into a terrible spider, but the triumph of the unrivaled goddess of art, which is an allegory with political notes. Thus, the creator expressed his respect for the Spanish monarchy, easily crushing not only individuals, but also any territories.

This picture is not only the apogee of Velazquez's work and his last major work, but also a sympathetic and deep understanding of the injustice of the entire world order.

By this time, the court career of Velazquez reaches its highest point - he was awarded the Santiago Cross, the most significant order of Spain. This fact has become a precedent, since a man of art has become a holder of one of the most ancient European orders of chivalry .

But at this time the creator was already seriously ill with malaria, which she contracted during the wedding ceremony of the French king and the Spanish princess on the island of Pheasants. After returning to Madrid, Diego Rodriguez de Silva Velazquez died at the age of sixty-one years. With his death, the heyday of Spanish painting ended.


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