There are canvases in the history of painting, the mysteries of which descendants have been trying to comprehend for centuries, and which in many ways remain incomprehensible. One of these works is Velasquez's painting “Meninas”. The main mystery of this large-scale canvas, which is the pride of the painting collection of the Prado Museum in Madrid, lies in compositional construction. What do we see when looking at the picture?
In its central part depicts the five-year-old daughter of the Spanish royal couple - Infanta Margarita. The bright, fragile figure of the little girl is surrounded by a respectful retinue - maids of honor, who served as the name of the picture, a court dwarf and a jester, a big dormant, very indifferent dog. All these are important and necessary persons of the retinue of the Spanish royal court, whom Velazquez portrayed very truthfully. "Menin" is
a historical picture, even the names of all those depicted on it are known. But this is not the main thing in the canvas. The riddle is different. Let's pay attention to the image of the artist himself on the left side, which stands in front of a large easel with brushes and a palette. He is busy with work - he writes a portrait of the royal couple, the image of which can be seen if you look closely and look in the mirror hanging above the head of the infant. Thus, it turns out that the royal couple is located directly in front of the picture - where the courtiers and Velazquez himself are looking. "Menin" - a canvas where the pictorial plan is closely intertwined with the real. Indeed, viewers looking at the picture become its direct participants, because they are located next to or behind the royal couple. A similar illusion is achieved by certain
artistic techniques that Velazquez uses. “Meninas” are written very accurately and realistically, the play of light and shadow creates volume and depth.
So, the unusual and mysterious composition is that it is not the artist who is standing in front of the canvas he creates. He is part of the image and draws the one who stands in front of him. In turn, the one he draws is reflected in a mirror hanging on the opposite wall, and appears to be outside the artistic world, as if outside the canvas. Viewers viewing the picture are in reality, but they are also part of the artistic plan, being illusory present at what is happening.
A similar multifaceted composition "picture in picture" was often used by Velazquez. "Menin" is a vivid example of this. What did the artist want to convey to the viewer? There is still no exact explanation for this.
The mirror image, introduced compositionally into the picture, is a technique that was highly appreciated in
Renaissance painting. Such an accurate, realistic depiction of the painting-shifter emphasized the degree of skill of the artist.
Perhaps by including himself in the framework of the canvas, the artist wanted to show his dependence, constraint, lack of freedom. He, as a court painter, could create only in the gloomy walls of the royal castle.
What did Diego Velazquez want to say ? "Menin" is an artistic creation that has not yet been unraveled. Its secret meaning is the source for many different assumptions and research not only by artists, art historians, but also by historians.