Diego Velázquez

Diego Velázquez (1599 - 1660)

Baptized Diego Rodríguez de Silva y Velázquez on June 6, 1599, in Seville, Spain.

Painted during the Baroque period (1600 - 1750), which focused on the contrast between light and dark, painting with great detail in bold colors, and capturing movement in a scene.

Was famous for creating realistic paintings of everyday people as well as Spanish royals and nobility. He was the court painter for King Philip IV of Spain.

Died on August 6, 1660 at the age of 61 in Madrid, Spain.

You can learn more about Diego Velázquez by exploring Britannica Kids. After discussing what you see in the painting, find out what Mati and Dada found out about Las Meninas, as well as what makes the painting so special. Velázquez lived almost his whole life in Spain, so naturally the best collection of his works is at the Prado Museum (Museo Nacional Del Prado) in Madrid, Spain. Google Arts & Culture allows you to see his works on view at museums around the world. Velázquez influenced many painters including artists we have studied: Èdouard Manet, Pablo Picasso, and Salvador Dalí. In fact, John Singer Sargent's The Daughters of Edward Darley Boit is often compared to Las Meninas.