Velázquez, The Surrender of Breda (article) | Khan Academy Velázquez, The Surrender of Breda Velázquez, The Surrender of Breda Essay by Javier Berzal. Email Diego Velázquez, The Surrender of Breda, 1634-35, oil on canvas, 307 cm × 367 cm (Museo del Prado, Madrid) Diego Velázquez, The Surrender of Breda, 1634-35, oil on canvas, 307 cm × 367 cm (Museo del Prado, Madrid) What defines a great leader How military leaders treat their vanquished enemies conveys much of their character. In early modern Europe, paintings of military victories usually followed a preconceived structure: the victorious commander appeared seated high on his horse, or on a throne, while the capitulating general would kneel on the ground. Degraded and humiliated, the conquered army leader would prostrate himself in submission to the contempt of the triumphant general. But what happens if these dynamics are shifted?

What would an image of an honorable commander showing respect for a conquered army communicate? Would a magnanimous leader be seen as weak? And how could abstract concepts such as honor or magnanimity be represented? Velazquez’s The Surrender of Breda revolutionized the genre of military painting precisely by emphasizing that to win with elegance and magnanimity is what defines a great leader, and not merely the ferocious capacity to triumph in combat. A commission from the King of Spain Between 1630 and 1635 the Spanish king Philip IV commissioned the construction of a royal palace just outside of Madrid. The Surrender of Breda was one of the paintings that decorated the most lavish room in that palace, the Hall of Realms. This multipurpose room had two important functions; it was a throne room, and it was a place for music and theatrical performances. As such, the Hall of Realms was the space where emissaries and ambassadors were received and entertained. When visitors entered the room, they encountered a highly ornate space decorated with large paintings that celebrated the Spanish king’s military victories. The Surrender of Breda is one of these paintings.

It commemorates the capture of the city of Breda during the Eighty Years’ War, a conflict between Spain, which controlled the Low Countries, and the Dutch, who were fighting for political independence. Youthful Dutch soldier (detail), Diego Velázquez, The Surrender of Breda, 1634-35, oil on canvas, 307 cm × 367 cm (Museo del Prado, Madrid) Youthful Dutch soldier (detail), Diego Velázquez, The Surrender of Breda, 1634-35, oil on canvas, 307 cm × 367 cm (Museo del Prado, Madrid) The aftermath of battle Though the painting depicts a military victory, Velázquez removed the bloody and violent aspects of the battle from the canvas. Instead, he chose to present the aftermath of the battle: the capitulation of the Dutch to the Spanish troops. It is important to notice how Velázquez established the difference between these two groups. The Dutch, on the left, appear disorganized, youthful, and few in number.

This contrasts with the Spanish troops located on the right, which are presented as a large, well-organized, and seasoned group. Velázquez’s depiction of the spears, vertically rising over the horizon, has received much attention, to the point that the painting is also known as The Lances. The numerous spears create a sense that there are more Spanish troops than we can actually see and, because of their ordered arrangement, they emphasize the military competence of the Spanish soldiers. Exchange of keys from the Dutch to the Spanish captain (detail), Diego Velázquez, The Surrender of Breda, 1634-35, oil on canvas, 307 cm × 367 cm (Museo del Prado, Madrid) Exchange of keys from the Dutch to the Spanish captain (detail), Diego Velázquez, The Surrender of Breda, 1634-35, oil on canvas, 307 cm × 367 cm (Museo del Prado, Madrid) A painting about magnanimity The center of the painting is dominated by the exchange of the keys.

Ambrogio Spinola, the captain of the Spanish troops, receives the keys of the city from Justinus van Nassau. Having descended from his horse, and looking at the Dutch commander eye-to-eye, Spinola places his hand over Justinus’ shoulder, most likely in order to stop him from kneeling. This respectful gesture separates The Surrender of Breda from typical surrender scenes. In The Surrender of Breda, the battle remains in the distance, only noticeable because of the smoke columns rising in the background. It is the human encounter, in the foreground, that Velázquez emphasized. Hence, it is a painting about magnanimity as much, if not more, than a painting about military prowess. Not a document of the event Some aspects of the painting correspond to the historical reality of the event. After the siege, Spinola granted the Dutch army very generous terms of surrender; he ordered the Spanish army to respect the Dutch, who were allowed to leave Breda in military formation and carrying their ensigns. However, we should not let Velázquez’s naturalistic style deceive us. The Surrender of Breda is not a faithful reproduction of the event.

It is highly unlikely that the encounter between the two commanders took place as depicted. The painter, who was not present at the siege of Breda, carefully constructed the scene to commemorate Spinola’s magnanimous character, not to document an event. Velázquez has subtly emphasized the figure of Spinola who, holding a baton of command, wears a distinct, splendid armor and a vivid magenta sash. At the same time, Velázquez’s astonishing skill is precisely shown in the easiness with which he transforms the viewers into eyewitness to an impromptu encounter. The muted earth tones and a soft light give the painting a naturalistic character. Without blatant symbols, allegorical figures, or even idealized figures, the viewer is invited to encounter the scene as if they had been there. The painting presents a humane encounter in the midst of the chaos and cruelty of war. But we should not think that there are no ulterior motives for the presentation of this seemingly virtuous moment. Spinola, the Spanish troops, and by extension Philip IV, are presented as powerful and honorable.

Thus the painting operates at multiple levels: it is a rhetorical exaltation of Spanish national identity, a symbol of Philip IV and his army, and a tribute to Spinola, a personal friend of Velázquez who had died a few years before the commission of the painting. Essay by Javier Berzal The Surrender of Breda | artble.com The Surrender of Breda Las Lanzas, La Rendición de Breda Height (cm): The Surrender of Breda Story / Theme General Ambrosio Spínola The Surrender of Breda Diego Velazquez One of the most famous of Velázquez's paintings, The Surrender of Breda depicts the moment on the fifth of June, 1625, when the Dutch general Justin Nassau surrendered the Dutch town of Breda to Spanish forces led by General Ambrosio Spínola. The first decades of the seventeenth century were marked by the Protestant Netherland's fierce bid for independence from Catholic Spain.

For the Catholic realms of Europe, Breda was suspiciously regarded as a breeding ground for heretical Protestants from all over the continent, a kind of "finishing school" where they could go to perfect their military skills. All of Europe was warily keeping their eyes on the situation of Breda, since a battle over the possession of the city could easily escalate into a continent-wide war. Spain had been at peace with the Netherlands during the Twelve Year Truce, but once Philip IV came to power in 1621, the truce was annulled and hostilities began anew. In 1624 Philip IV chose the best Spanish commander from the Thirty Years War, Ambrosio Spínola, to take back the city. Progress was glacially slow during the first nine months but Spínola laid a grueling siege to the city that eventually prompted the Dutch forces to give in. Justin Nassau, commander of the Dutch forces and a renowned military man in his own right, capitulated on the condition that he and his men would be able to surrender honorably and be treated as "men of war.

" His own troops exhausted and short on materials, Spínola was in no position to argue, and on June 5, he accepted Nassau's symbolic turning over of the keys to the city in a peaceful ceremony in which no soldiers or civilians were harmed. The Commission: Velázquez's Surrender of Breda was part of a huge decoration project commissioned by the Spanish minister, count Olivares. In 1630, Olivares decided to glorify the image of the Spanish court by building a new pleasure palace just east of Madrid, known today as the Buen Retiro. Olivares commissioned three separate cycles of paintings for the Hall of Realms. Velázquez was given the task of executing the equestrian portraits and one battle scene, The Surrender of Breda, which would depict the historical event of ten years ago described above. This work definitively constitutes the most important and most daring of all the paintings in the Hall of Realms, and has gone down in history as one of Velázquez's best and most intriguing paintings. Jacques Callot Nancy Once again, as with so many of Velázquez's paintings, art historians have argued for centuries about potential sources of inspiration for his masterful composition.

The most widely cited sources include the following; Rubens: Velázquez's close friend and prominent artist of the Flemish Baroque did not have much of an influence on Velázquez's style per se, but he has been cited elsewhere as a compositional or philosophical influence. In the case of The Surrender of Breda, Rubens had executed two paintings which have often been named in relation to Velázquez's masterpiece. The most commonly cited painting by Rubens in this influence is his Meeting of Ferdinand of Hungary and the Cardinal-Infant Ferdinand. The paintings evidence a remarkably similar compositional structure, but the possibility of an influence has been disputed, given that the two paintings were executed at roughly the same time, and in fact, Rubens may even have been painted his after Velázquez. This may therefore be little more than a case of similar sources producing similar results. On the other hand, Rubens's The Reconciliation of Jacob and Esau could have had an influence on Velázquez indeed, and may in fact have been the source of inspiration for Rubens's later picture. This was one of the eight paintings Rubens brought with him to Madrid, meaning Velázquez would surely have seen it.

It is generally accepted that in order to study the topography of Breda, Velázquez made use of the French Jacques Callot's engravings, Siège de Breda, which he employed in devising the landscape for his painting. In order to fully understand what exactly happened during the surrender of Breda Velázquez would have had to avail himself of the several literary sources describing the account. Fortunately for the artist, Velázquez was lucky enough to meet Spínola himself when the artist travelled with the military man during his first trip to Italy in 1629, and he would surely have had a first-hand account of the general's most famous triumph. The Surrender of Breda Analysis The Surrender of Breda The Surrender of Breda Diego Velazquez Although Velázquez studiously prepared his painting by studying a wide variety of sources, the end result is uniquely his own. The Surrender of Breda is considered a masterpiece for the following qualities; Composition: The Surrender of Breda is a particularly difficult composition for the large number of figures, the complex crowds and accessories.

In order to organize and balance the painting, Velázquez employs a device he commonly uses throughout his oeuvre: he divides the action into two planes. The reality of the war and the siege is compressed into the background, reminding the viewer of the history surrounding the main event. This main event, the actual act of the surrender, is pushed into the foreground, with its two protagonists clearly defined in the dead center: Nessau on the left, offering the keys and Spínola on the right, consoling his fellow man-in-arms. Critics have noted that there is something very theatrical about the treatment of space, with the supporting figures tidily grouped to the left and right of the composition. As always, realism is one of the most striking features of Velázquez's paintings. Having personally known Spínola, Velázquez would have been able to paint a veritable portrait, but the artist does not neglect to individualize the supporting cast of characters. Color palette: The Surrender of Breda is a surprisingly light, bright painting for Velázquez, compared to the rest of his oeuvre. For once, even pastel colors are present, in the uniformed soldiers in the background and the sweeping flags to the right of the canvas.

Many critics have attributed this lightness as well as the dominant brown, blue and yellow to the influence of the Venetians, especially Tintoretto. Brushwork: The Surrender of Breda evidences another example of the free, loose brushstrokes that characterize Velázquez's style, and which had such an impact on the art of Manet and the Impressionists. Here, Velázquez varies his brushstroke: in the foreground, it is tighter and more controlled, while it grows increasingly loose and abstract receding into the background, helping the artist to create a sense of atmospheric perspective. The Surrender of Breda Critical Reception The Surrender of Breda The Surrender of Breda Diego Velazquez At first glance, it would seem that The Surrender of Breda is far more straightforward than Velázquez's other paintings. After all, it is a painting about a carefully documented historical event, which remains faithful to the written eyewitness accounts. As always with Velázquez paintings, art historians have still managed to debate the actual meaning of this masterpiece.

The first, and most often accepted and promulgated, interpretation of Velázquez's The Surrender of Breda is that the painting is about a moment of humanity in the midst of the horror of war. The painting shows a Spínola who has dismounted from his horse to meet his adversary on common ground, as an equal. He ignores Nessau's gesture of offering the keys to the city, and puts his hand on his shoulder in a gesture of consolation and compassion. This image may be one of humanity, but it would also serve as propaganda for Spanish military prowess on a variety of levels. First of all, by acknowledging the honor of her enemy, Spain makes her conquest all the greater. Secondly, by showing the overwhelming nobility and compassion of the Spanish military leader, the painting strikes a blow at the Protestant-authored reports of the cruelty and severity of the Spaniards and their Inquisition. On the other hand, if Velázquez is actually making reference to Alciato's illustration for "Against Gifts from Enemies," an entirely different interpretation would become possible. Breda was taken aback by the Dutch a mere two years after this painting was created, in 1637, much to Count Olivares' fury.

Olivares had often warned Spínola of the danger of his lenient policies, and art historian John F. Meffitt suggests that Olivares may have suggested this iconographic program to Velázquez as a warning of what was to come. In this case, The Surrender of Breda would be like a desengaño, or disillusion or warning, against trusting the all-too-easy surrender of the Dutch. The Surrender of Breda Related Paintings Richard Strauss: Velázquez's The Surrender of Breda was greater admired by this late Romantic German composer. Strauss's anti-Nazi, one-act opera Friedenstag (opus 81), premiered in 1938, was directly inspired by Velázquez's painting. The Surrender of Breda Artist Defense of Cadiz Against the English Francisco de Zurbaran Velázquez's The Surrender of Breda was part of a huge decoration project commissioned by the Spanish minister, count Olivares.

In 1630, even as Spain was sinking ever deeper into political and economic mire, Olivares decided to glorify the image of the Spanish court by building a new pleasure palace just east of Madrid, known today as the Buen Retiro. This project developed into a whole complex of buildings, alleys, gardens, fountains and chapels which was devoted to various forms of courtly spectacle, including theatre and musical performances, tournaments and jousts, and the fine arts (sculpture, painting, and tapestry). One of the greatest challenges of developing this fantastic complex, of course, was the decoration. Olivares made use of hundreds of paintings in the royal collection that had been brought to Spain from Italy and Flanders, but for the most important room in the palace, the Hall of Realms, Olivares wanted something particularly magnificent.

Olivares thus commissioned three separate cycles of paintings for the Hall of Realms: twelve paintings depicting Spanish victories under Philip IV, ten paintings from the life of Hercules (the god claimed by virtually every major European dynasty as the founder of their families), and a group of five equestrian portraits portraying Philip III and Margaret of Austria, Philip IV and Isabella of Bourbon, and the crown prince Baltasar Carlos. These portraits were intended to establish the legitimacy of the Spanish Habsburg dynasty and illustrate their succession to the throne. Velázquez was not the only artist who was put to work to execute these numerous commissions. In fact, the busiest artist of all was his contemporary, fellow star of the Spanish Baroque, Francisco Zurbaran, who was in charge of the Hercules series and a battle scene, The Defence of Cadiz Against the English. Velázquez was given the task of executing the equestrian portraits and one battle scene, The Surrender of Breda, which would depict the historical event of ten years ago described above. This work definitively constitutes the most important and most daring of all the paintings in the Hall of Realms, and has gone down in history as one of Velázquez's best and most intriguing paintings.

The Surrender of Breda Art Period Baroque Don Diego de Acedo Diego Velazquez Diego Rodriguez de Silva y Velázquez was born into a society of paradox: Spain was simultaneously undergoing one of the most dramatic economic and political declines of any nation in European history, and unprecedentedly fertile, creative bursts of artistic activity. In Velázquez's hometown of Seville in particular, circles of Humanist learning, arts and letters and philosophy all flourished, constituting a particularly fecund environment for a young artist. On the other hand, Velázquez's chosen profession would become a significant obstacle in the artist's personal agenda. Spanish society was obsessed with nobility, and unlike in Italy, the visual arts were emphatically not equated with noble pursuits like literature or philosophy. Artists were seen as essentially vulgar craftsman who worked for a living with their hands, just like blacksmiths or tailors. Making matters even more complicated, the Catholic Church exercised almost total power over the arts in Spain, dictating everything from subject to composition, meaning that artists had very little room to experiment or grow. Velázquez was thus fated to struggle from the very incipience of his career.

While most artists of the Baroque period suffered from a serious drop in critical opinion during the 18th century, eventually fading into oblivion until being rediscovered in the 1950s, Velázquez took an alternate route. Because of Spain's political situation, the nation was more or less isolated from the rest of Europe during the heights of Neoclassicism, meaning that Velázquez's reputation was safe from the hands of Baroque-haters like Wincklemann, who managed to destroy the reputation of such artists as Caravaggio , Carracci and Bernini . By the time Spain opened up to the rest of Europe in the beginning of the 19th century, the world was ready for Velázquez, and critics and artists alike haven't ceased singing the master painter's praises. The Surrender of Breda Bibliography The following list offers some of the best sources of further reading on Velázquez and his works. • Brown, Dale. The World of Velázquez: 1599-1660. Time-Life Books, 1969 • Brown, Jonathan. Velázquez, Painter and Courtier.

Yale University Press, 1986 • Carr, Dawson, et al. Velázquez. Yale University Press, 2006 • Davies, David, et al. Velázquez in Seville. National Galleries of Scotland, 1996 • Harris, Enriqueta. Velázquez. Phaidon, 1982 • Kahr, Madlyn Millner. Velázquez: the art of painting. Harper and Row, 1976 • López-Rey, José. Velázquez: A catalogue raisonné of his œuvre. Faber and Faber, 1963 • Pérez Sánchez, Alfonso, et al. Velázquez. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1989 • Wolf, Norbert. Diego Velázquez, 1599-1660: the face of Spain. Taschen, 1998 • Wind, Barry. Velázquez's Bodegones: A study in 17th century Spanish genre painting. Fairfax: George Mason University Press, 1987 Want a Printed Poster, Canvas, or Replica?

Velazquez - Las Lanzas or The Surrender of Breda by Carol Sutton [Visual charts + text,elaborate details] An entire world of complex compositional elements: Echo effect detail- a horse face unseen and then seen! Left side cluster of figures- frontal view of horse -lower right corner of painting-face seen This unseen face is displaced and reappears as if a face seen , but now reverse as the horse's body is mostly hidden and almost unseen. (The horse body reappears on the opposite left side of the painting and meshed into the left side cluster of figures). right side-rear view of horse -lower right corner of painting-unseen face A riderless horse viewed from the rear (on the right side of the painting and meshed into the right side cluster of figures), with a large rounded mound of rear and tail, saddle and rear of his head shown to the viewer. The only part of his body unseen is his face with white markings, in fact the entire rear view of the body is shown but the head of the horse is hidden, it looks-away, therefore is an unseen face.

This unseen face is displaced and reappears as if a face seen on the horse on the left side of the painting , but now it is reverse;. ). Both horses are riderless. as its body is mostly hidden and almost unseen ). Both horses are riderless. (The whole horse body is on the opposite left side of the painting and meshed into the left side cluster of figures). clsutton Pastel colors for the uniforms of soldiers? Make your own visual comparisons. Unique here is the fact that these two light spots have completely different spatial functions. One outlines a forward facing man garbed in a light coat, and the other is an entire patch of distant perspective figures contrasted by the foreground space arm of Justin of Nassau holding out the key to the city of Breda as he gives it to Spinola. Two jagged edge light spots in the composition hold very important and prominent importance in the picture. Both puzzle patches serve to lock in the figure of Justin. One spot is the front sun drenched white uniform of the youthful Dutch soldier with his chest strikingly venerable, which is made even more obvious by the fact that it is completely surrounded by dark shaded figures that comfort him, one with his arm around his shoulder.

This moustache- faced man who offers comfort is only partial visible, in fact only one eye is seen. A partially obstructed view. A face half hidden by the looming head of the man shown as a rear facing but side profile portrait in silhouette. A mid-ground silhouette. Here I believe Velazquez was at full play with his shadows and his light spots changing them at his will, one trading place for another. Shadow dark becomes figure light or the reverse. "All we are saying is give peace a chance."- lyrics to peace song PENSIVE YOUTH Even though this lightly dressed man is located in the mid-ground of the painting as he stands behind the two key figures of Justin of Nassau and Spinola, he carries 'a focal point' ability with him. His raised figure, almost says, "Look at me, I am in command here of this situation". In toto he looms as one of the most enigmatic figures in the entire Surrender of Breda. A bellwether of Dutch psyche. A crystal prism reflected thought, full of doubts, filled with feelings, his mind nerve endings jumping and his heart- strings running wild. The other patch is a cluster of pastel colored soldiers.

Radical creativity on the part of Velazquez. And pure fiction. Soldiers do not dress up in pastel colored uniforms for war. But here the lower four fifths of the bodies of the seven visible soldiers have their uniforms in pastel colors [ While the upper one-fifth are their heads, which come in line just above the black and gold armored arm of the Spanish General Spinola and are by contrast to their bodies in complete aerial perspective into a bluish distance evocative virtuosity and beauty of unfolding depth. All the heads are draw in soft brown and drab colored tones ] . To me this is one of the most radical devices Velazquez ever used. Simply brilliant thinking. What are these lines of Noland like pastel colors? Left to right, they are first pastel green, second pastel blue-green, next to that a pastel yellow, followed by pastel pink, then pastel blue {this blue figure is the most prominent and detailed of all the group}, next to the last is a pastel cream, and finally on the far right is pastel green again. C. L.

Sutton THE KEYS HANG INSIDE THIS SPACE LIKE THE GOLD BUG HUNG FROM THE TULIP TREE BRANCH IN EDGAR ALLEN POE'S FAMOUS NOVEL of 1843 - THE GOLD BUG GOLD BUG HANGING: Legrand's rare species of scarabaeus sacer* bug is a brilliant gold colour, with two jet-black spots near one end of its back and another at the other end. Master Legrand and slave Jupiter set out to find this gold coin and jewels. The treasure lies under a tulip tree. Inside this tree the scarabaeus bug must be dropped suspended on a string through the left eye of a scull or a death's head in order to find the treasure.

"All dat done, Massa Will; mighty easy ting for to put de bug fru de hole- look out for him dar below!" [*or Sullivan's Island, South Carolina insect called Callichroma splendidum or a click beetle, Alaus oculatus.] The Gold Bug-The Tale Retold by Betinna Knapp & The Gold Bug - Introduction by The Gold Bug by Arthur Paul Patterson at: THE KEY STRINGS HANGING, THE KEY EXTENDED: THE KEY ACTS AS THE GOLD BUG OF THE PICTURE. The core of the story. A seminal image at the core of the work. The link that binds all the surrounding parts together. The key hangs with a string attached in Velazquez's painting; just as did the gold scarabaeus beetle bug which hung from a string in the Poe masterpiece novel. The open spot of space, the hollow central core of the often used Velasquez device, acts in a similar way to the hole made by the left eye socket of the scull. One could go so far to say that the 2 light patches are the eye holes of an invisible scull .

Contrast detail of 2 large soldier foreground figures green colored coat man wears a black hat the dominate light shines on the back facing soldier with the light brown ­orche colored coat ; next to the patch of green-blue contrasting color of the adjacent soldier who is set back and darker. orche colored coat + NEW - Information on the- Contents of Velazquez's own library inventory just after his death on Friday, August 6, 1660 at the age of sixty-one years. Velazquez's funeral was the next day, Saturday, August 7, 1660. Three days after that on August 11, 1660, Velazquez's executors, his son-n-law the painter Maso, his friend Gaspar de Fuensalida, and Francisoc de Rojas, a newly appointed 'aposentador' made an inventory of his atelier and their apartments in the Casa del Tesoro. "Juana Pacheco, died, following her husband to the grave by a mere eight days", which would have been August 15, 1660.

Velazquez and wife had no will {Gudiol} 1 Inventory taken at death -174 books ... {dates and information from Jonathan Brown, page 265.} + see my own page: Diego de Silva y Velázquez de la Camera di S. Mta. Cattca. ... cont: 28 tapestries, 44 pictures, curtains,carpets, jewels, Will: aft Sep 1660, Velazquez and wife had no will {Gudiol} 1 Inventory taken at death -174 books ... at Any readers out there who actually have a list of the 174 books in the household inventory after the time of death of Velazquez and his wife just 8 days later, please email me. (See lead page for my email. )Would you know of anywhere where I could find the list of the books he had in his study when Velazquez died?" I found reference to within the above book , 'The Complete Paintings of Velazquez- 1599-1660' by Jose Gudiol on page 318, to what was in Velezquez's own library.

Quote: " The inventory of the private property of Velazquez and his wife was drawn up by the witnesses to the foregoing document, both of whom had been appointed executors, between the 11th and the 29th of the same month (August 1660 - I think) . this is a document of great importance, which was published , with commentaries, by Sanchez Canton in the " Archivo Espanol de Arte" in 1942. From his article I have taken the following description of the painter's home." end quote ----but does not list the books, says the abode reveals that Velazquez lived in a spacious well furnished home with an excellent library, 28 tapestries, 44 pictures, curtains and carpets, and goes on to list the works painted by Velasquez, but not his books. Anyway it appears that Professor Francisco Javier Sanchez Canton was also the Director of the Prado Museum. I did read that there was only one book of verse, but many books devoted to the study of - mathematics, geometry, geography, mechanics, anatomy and architecture, art, art theory, mythographic treatises. You are at the site of add to your bookmarks please!

"Scholarship is not suppose to be fast." a quote by Carol Sutton Made August, 2000- Updated on March 18 2005, June 10, 2006, image repair, September 3, 2007, breda images link change, June 13, 2009 All Rights Reserved and © on all images, art, and text Page & site design by Carol Sutton Disclaimer- I disclaim that I am knowing violating any copyright infringements. Please let me know if this is not the case. The opinions here are my own, or of other credited sources and in no way reflect any intent to harm. This site aims for - any fair dealing with any work for the purposes of private study, research, criticism, review, or newspaper summary - provided that they are given with the sources and the author's name.

Diego Velazquez: An Analysis of the Spanish Baroque Style Diego Velazquez Jan van Eyck Raphael Peter Paul Rubens G B Tiepolo J-H Fragonard J-Auguste Ingres Claude Monet Pierre Bonnard Paul Cezanne William Orpen Valentin Serov Georges Braque Nicolas de Stael Diego Velazquez Diego Rodriguez de Silva y Velázquez was born in 1599 in Seville to a family of church officials. He was first apprenticed to Francisco de Herrera the Elder (c.1590-1654), but in 1611 to Francisco Pacheco (1564-1644), a popular member of the artistic and cultural scene. Six years later Velázquez was accepted into the painters guild of St. Luke in Seville, and married Juana, Pacheco's daughter. They had two daughters: one died in infancy and the second was married to a fellow painter. Velázquez 's earlier paintings were religious and local scenes in Seville: Old Woman Frying Eggs, Three Men at Table, The Waterseller in Seville, Mother Jeránima de la Fuente, The Adoration of the Magi.

In 1622, Velázquez visited Madrid to see its art treasures and make useful contacts. In the spring of 1623, Velázquez was summoned to court and received his first commission, a portrait of Philip IV, which led to his appointment as court painter and the portrayer of the king's person. Peter Paul Rubens, brought to court on diplomatic business, persuaded Velázquez to visit Italy in 1629-30, and there the painter studied the work of Titian and others, making copies of old masters and gaining ideas for the large works he was commissioned to produce in 1834-6 period for the new palace of Buen Retino. One of his best known was the Surrender at Breda, often considered the greatest historical work in the European canon. Honours followed quickly thereafter, and Velázquez became chamberlain of the king's private chambers, and then assistant to the superintendent of special building projects, time-consuming duties that didn't prevent him turning out work that made him the greatest painter of his day, and, technically, perhaps of all time.

Velázquez visited Rome again during 1649-1651, where he painted the all-too truthful portrait of Pope Innocent X, becoming supreme court marshal on his return. His social duties increased, though he was able to enlarge his workshop, employing assistants and pupils, who seem not have been particularly gifted. Velázquez's last significant work was Las Meninas, again a great masterpiece, where the third dimension is conveyed in subtle shifts of tone. Velázquez died in Madrid on August 6, 1660. Paintings Study for the head of Apollo. 36.3 x 25.2 cm. 1630 Private Collection Velázquez 's wizardry of brush was legendary, and here we see what vitality is possible with the simplest of means: a brownish wash over the canvas, and then strokes of umber and burnt umber, some white to sharpen the contours of the face, and little red to give the cheeks warmth. Only a sketch but a convincing, indeed living, presence. The Surrender of Breda. 1634-5. Oil on canvas. 307 cm. x 367 cm.

Museo del Prado, Madrid, Spain. The 'Surrender of Breda' was one of twelve battle scenes painted to decorate the Salón de Reinos in Buen Retiro, and commemorates the surrender in 1625 of the town to Spanish forces led by the Genoese aristocrat Ambrogio Spínola. It was painted ten years after the event by someone who had never seen war, for patrons (Philip IV and Count-Duke of Olivares) who had not either, and shows Justinus de Nassau handing over the keys, though the surrender was in fact made by Frederick Henry, who had become commander after Nassau's death. As in all Velázquez 's work, the painting portrays the essential decency of man, and Spínola is greeting his vanquished enemy with respect and kindliness. After a long siege, the terms of surrender were indeed generous: the Dutch were allowed to march away unmolested, and the town was not sacked. Velázquez knew Spínola well, but took other details of the surrender from an etching by the French artist Jacques Callot who, like a good journalist, had visited the scene and talked to participants.

The background shows fired buildings and fields still inundated with the flooding the Spanish used to compel surrender. The composition is simple but effective. The canvas is divided into five horizontal bands: the immediate foreground, the area inhabited by the figure, a view of the distant town, the countryside beyond and the blue sky. The horizon is exceptionally high, and contributes to the threatening atmosphere that the surrender helps to relieve. All bands but that with the figures are painted in rather muted colours. A palisade of vertical pikes behind the Spanish officers on the right is balanced by the Dutch weapons closer to the viewer on the left. A series of diagonals focus the viewer's eye on the key being handed over. On the right there is the tilted flag, and, below it, the white horse's leg and the document in the lowest right. On the left the diagonals are more subtle: in the right leg of Nassau, and diagonal above made by the horse's flank, the white ruff and sleeves of the surrendering leader. Diagonals also appear in the shadowed ground.

The figures around Spínola and Nassau are unposed, inconsequential even, as though caught in a sudden snapshot, but a Dutch officer is gazing outward at the viewer on the left, and a Spanish officer on the right keeps half an eye on us. Depth is accomplished by those two gazes, by overlapping figures, aerial perspective, and the heavy bulk of the horse (which Spínola has just dismounted from) that is turned away from us. Las Meninas. 1656 Oil on canvas. 318 cm. x 276 cm. Museo del Prado, Madrid In 'Las Meninas' (Maids of Honour) we come to the last of Velázquez's important work, often called the greatest painting of all time. Why? Because in it Velázquez has solved all the outstanding problems of the day, and helped oil painting to finally come of age.

The view is of one of Europe's most powerful court, but the work is restrained and most unshowy, painted in the restricted palette Velázquez preferred: lead white, yellows of iron oxide and lead-tin, Naples yellow, oranges of iron oxide and vermilion of mercury, reds of iron oxide, vermilion of mercury, and organic red lake, purples of red laze and azurite, blues of azurite, lapiz lazuli, and smalt, browns of iron and manganese oxides, greens of azurite, iron oxide, and lead-tin yellow, and blacks of organic or animal origin. Depth is created by scale, overlapping of figures and by shadow, but most of all by control of tones, that powerful but most difficult of devices for oil painters working in the western tradition. Here Velázquez seems to have painted the airy space itself, which becomes a tangible presence in the work. Then there is the workmanship, which seems simply given to the painter: no extended drawings and sketches, no botches or improvisations. Economically but very freely, using long-handled brushes, Velázquez creates the effects he wants, with only minor reworkings.

The composition is only apparently straightforward: strong verticals and horizontals, and then a series of overlapping pyramids — 1. the dog, Infanta, figures in the glass, attendant on the left, 2. the dwarfs, figure behind, the queen's chamberlain in the doorway, Infanta again and 3. waiting woman on the left and Velázquez himself, brush in hand. The pyramid is a conventional Renaissance device but there is nothing static or posed in this composition. Over two hundred years before Degas created his snapshot views of Paris, Velázquez has painted something as lifelike but more intriguing. Where are the king and queen standing, at the viewer's point of vision or behind the left hand screen? Why are they so brightly lit but blurred? What is the light source for the Infanta and attendants? Many commentators have come to their own but differing conclusions. Finally there is that element of the man himself, the humanity that accepts the world as it is, but gives it dignity, purpose and quiet strength. Besides Velázquez , Rubens looks extravagant and Rembrandt too often brash and self-seeking.

In his other canvases, Velázquez paints a king who was not a successful ruler (he lost Portugal and overseas territories) as someone we can feel a good deal of sympathy for, though never patronize. He paints dwarfs and other physically unfavoured attendants at the court without sanitizing their features or sentimentalizing them. In Seville his waterseller is given the gravitas of an Old Testament prophet who is also, we realize, an old man battered by the vicissitudes of his trade. Here at court, in this enigmatic portrayal of space, life is equally uncertain and passing. The chamberlain waiting in the doorway will draw the curtain close. The king and queen will stop gazing at their daughter. The Infanta Margaret Theresa will grow up to marry Leopold I, Holy Roman Emperor, but die, worn out by childbearing, at the young age of twenty-one. Velázquez himself leave his beloved painting and die in 1660, his work being largely forgotten till the nineteenth century. Further Reading Diego Velazquez Prints, Posters & Paintings Michelangelo Diego Velazquez Diego Velazquez is a famous Spanish Baroque artist who produced high quality oil paintings throughout the 17th century.

As was common for the time, Velazquez produced mainly portrait paintings. Velazquez best known portrait paintings were of the Spanish royal family plus other key subjects from all around Europe. His best known painting remains Las Meninas with other notable works including Rokeby Venus “La Venus del espejo” and The Surrender of Breda “La Rendición de Breda”. Despite producing his work so long ago, Velazquez still managed to become an inspiration for many more contemporary artists such as those involved in Realism and Impressionism. Many artists have also featured his work one way or another in their own careers, including the likes of Picasso and Dali to name just two. Las Meninas remains his best known painting from a distinguished career. Produced just a few years before his death, it represents an example of the culmination of all he had learnt and experienced throughout his career. Las Merinas remains an important topic for study for any young budding artist and is a figurehead for the whole Baroque art movement, as it’s creator is as well. Whilst Impressionists and Realists were both influenced by the works of this great artist, Edouard Manet is seen by some as the link between these two art movements.

Interestingly, Manet himself was also a great fan of the works of this 17th century artist, particuarly enjoying Velázquez’s use of colour and creativeness against a backdrop of the academic status quo in Baroque art at that time. Recent paintings inspired by the works of Diego Velazquez paintings have included many different styles of art all across the globe. Francis Bacon produced several expressionist variations on Velazquez’s original portrait entitled Pope Innocent X, which Bacon viewed as one of the most impressive portrait paintings of all time. Dali and Picasso also felt great passion for Velazquez’s works and produced the likes of Velázquez Painting the Infanta Margarita With the Lights and Shadows of His Own Glory and Las Meninas (in many different styles) respectively. Velazquez paintings can be found all over the world in key galleries and museums such as Museo del Prado, Madrid, São Paulo Museum of Art, Sao Paulo, National Gallery, Edinburgh, National Gallery, London and Hermitage Museum, St. Petersburg.

Descendants from Diego and the Velazquez family have included Queen Sofía of Spain, Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands, King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden, King Albert II of Belgium, Hans-Adam II, Prince of Liechtenstein, and Henri, Grand Duke of Luxembourg. Below you can find a longer list of major Diego Velazquez paintings. Each is ready to buy from our website, just contact us for a quote on any one you want. We can supply them in any size you need. All our paintings are handmade by experienced artists. Velazquez is only estimated to have produced between 110 and 120 known canvases.

Apolo en la Fragua de Vulcano Christ in the House of Martha and Mary Cristo crucificado El Triunfo de Baco (Los borrachos) Equestrian portrait of Duke de Olivares Esopo Imposición de la casulla a San Ildefonso Old Woman Frying Eggs La reina Isabel de Borbón a caballo Las Hilanderas (The Fable of Arachne) Las Meninas Portrait of Count Duke of Olivares Portrait of Duke de Olivares Portrait of Innocent X Portrait of Juan de Pareja Portrait of Mother Jeronima de la Fuente Rokeby Venus (La Venus del espejo) The Surrender of Breda The Adoration of the Magi The Lady with a Fan The Lunch

Question: Who painted ' The Surrender at Breda ' and ' Las Meninas ' ?
Answer: VELASQUEZ