Spain's great Baroque painter, Diego Velazquez, is unquestionably one of the greatest artists of all time. His masterful techniques in portraiture gave life to his subjects and his individual style greatly influenced European art. He has been called a painter's painter for his extraordinary treatment of color, light, and space and his deft handling of brushwork.
Velazquez devoted his entire career to his position as court painter to King Philip IV of Spain. His close lifelong friendship with the king gained him not only favor but important positions overseeing the artistic life of the court. Two trips to Rome both broadened his view of painting and allowed him to purchase many great masterpieces for the royal collection, now housed in the Prado Museum.
The details of the artist's life are presented against a rich historical background that includes such topics as:
-- Philip IV and his chief minister Olivares
-- Spain and the Thirty Years War
-- Twilight of Spain's American empire
-- Arts and letters of Spain
This lively, authoritative volume brings the 17th century -- the Golden Spanish Century -- vividly to life with its wealth of great artists, fine authors, and generous patrons. Standing tall among these figures is Diego Velazquez, the man whose work inspired such future masters as Goya, Manet, Picasso, and Whistler.
