Velazquez: Spanish painter for King Philip IV

On Sunday, I had no plans for the day so I took the metro over to the Grand Palais in hopes of seeing an exhibition. I had planned on going to the Jean Paul Gaultier exhibit, because all the ads I had seen made it look interesting, however there was an hour wait if you did not reserve your ticket beforehand. And seeing as I am bad at planning ahead, I did not have a ticket yet. After walking past the line for this exhibit, I ran into the line for the Velazquez exhibit which was on the side of the museum. The line for this one was not as busy so I went to ask a museum person near the entrance if I could buy my ticket somewhere. Apparently he got confused by my question but he told me there was a wait but that I could just go inside and bypass the line so that was pretty cool. After paying for my ticket, only 9 euros if you are 16-25 years old, I paid for an audio guide was only 5 euros (Chantal would be proud!).

I was interested in seeing the Velazquez exhibition because of what we learned in our art class about his influence on Manet and other important artists. This exhibition is the first exhibition on Velazquez in France largely because a majority of his work is displayed in the Prado Museum in Madrid. The Grand Palais worked with many museums around the world in order to organize this event which gives viewers the chance to compare and contrast his work, as well as the work of those he influenced, all in one place. Therefore, I recommend that you guys go see this exhibition since it provides a good connection to what we have been learning this quarter in art!

Velazquez was born in 1599 in Seville, Spain. He was born into a period that was shifting away from Renaissance art and into Baroque art. Velazquez began his art career at the age of 12 when he began his training under painter Francisco Pacheco. He studied with Pacheco for six years. After his time as an apprentice, he was appointed as the painter for King Philip IV. Velazquez’s work therefore consists largely of portraits of members of the Court as well as of jesters, dwarves and actors. In 1629, he traveled to Italy to study the work of Renaissance artists Raphael, Titian and Michael-Angelo. These artists were influential in his work, primarily in The forge of Vulcan and Joseph’s Tunic. These two paintings were placed next to each other in the exhibition; they both express communication and discussion between several figures. However, one painting expresses a lie being told by Joseph’s brothers to their father, as seen in Joseph’s Tunic, and the other expresses the truth being told to Vulcan of an affair between Venus and Mars, as seen in The forge of Vulcan.

The Forge of Vulcan

Joseph's Tunic

The Fifer by Manet

I really enjoyed how this Exhibition was composed because it was pretty much a chronological journey through Velazquez’s lifetime. It started with his work in Pacheco’s studio, then his first portraits in Madrid, then his work while in Italy, followed by his portraits for the Court, followed by the work of his second visit to Italy and concluding with the work of those who studied under Velazquez.

Portrait of Pablo de Valladolid

I was able to see the painting The Rokeby Venus which is the only female nude painting that exists today by Velazquez. Velazquez was inspired by Titian’s piece, Venus of Urbino, which we studied about earlier this quarter in art.  I also learned that the painting Portrait of Pablo de Valladolid inspired Manet’s The Fifer, a painting which we saw during our visit to the Louvre. After seeing this painting, Manet stated that “Perhaps the most astonishing piece of painting that has ever been made is the picture entitled Portrait of a famous actor at the time of Philip IV (Pablillos Valladolid). The background disappears. It is air that surrounds the man, dressed entirely in black and full of life.” For this reason, we can see how Velazquez made an impact upon the realism movement as well as the impressionistic movement.

I highly recommend this to anyone who is interested in learning more about art! Go see it at the Grand Palais if you have time, it is open until July 13^th!

The Rokeby Venus

Venus of Urbino by Titian