Madrid, Spain | Summer 2018

As an emerging professional, my mind and body are always racing. There is so much I want to do and see, especially when I am traveling. So, when I notice myself zipping through my experiences, I challenge myself to take a closer look.

Diego Velázquez was a revolutionary artist in the Spanish Golden Age, and a leading figure in the rise of art, literature, and culture in the 17th century. He is known to have painted many figures of the Spanish royal court.

I love to study the relationships Velazquez illustrates in Las Meninas. Your eye is immediately pulled to the young Princess Margaret Theresa of Spain in the center of the composition, surrounded by her ladies-in-waiting.

To the side you see a pair of dwarfs hired for Margaret’s entertainment, while she sits for her portrait in the Palace of Madrid. One of the ladies is handing her a drink to (possibly) turn her gaze towards Velazquez, who is gripping a paint palette and calculating the scene. Velázquez is working on a large canvas. In Las Meninas, he plays with his role as an artist during political, social, and religious changes.

In the background you see the King Philip IV and Queen Mariana reflected in a small mirror. Prospectively, the couple would have been standing where the viewer stands today. They are both outside, an inside of the painting. In the composition, they seem to be observing their daughter as she sits for her portrait. However, it was rare for the king and queen to be seen downstairs, in a workshop. They would most likely have spent their time upstairs, in court. We can guess this room’s location by the staircase and depth change in the back right-hand corner.

Your eye then lands on a woman (possibly a nun) conversing with another figure. This is a curious observation. A tour guide at the Prado Museum pointed out that a nun would not have been seen talking in front of the king and queen. This perspective also suggests that the couple did not actually sit for this painting. Velazquez most likely would have painted from an existing sketch or drawing.

There are many interpretations and suggested narratives of this work. However, from this painting you can unquestionably conclude that art does not always reflect history.

You can find statues of the little princess throughout Madrid, Spain.