1. Diego Velázquez

2. Brief Bio
Born: Diego Rodríguez de Silva y Velázquez in Seville, Spain on June 6, 1599
Wife: Juana Pacheco (daughter of his teacher)
Children: 2 daughters (Francisca & Ignacia)
Died: August 6, 1660 in Madrid, Spain
Remembered as a great master of Western art – inspired Picasso and Dalí

3. Life Events
Began an apprenticeship under local painter Francisco Pacheco at age 6
Diego Velázquez paints in the style of Realism and his paintings were revered for being so life-like
Set up his own studio in 1617 after completing his apprenticeship and married Juana in 1618
He and his family moved to Madrid in where he painted a powerful count-duke who recommended Velázquez to King Philip IV
He was appointed a painter in the king’s court
Diego traveled to Italy from which inspired him to paint members of the royal family on horseback
He also took great care in painting the dwarves in King Philip’s court

4. Life Events cont.
Along with being a royal portrait painter, Velázquez was also a wardrobe assistant and superintendent of palace works
He returned to Italy in where he painted Pope Innocent X
He also painted the Pope’s servant Juan de Pareja
In 1656, after returning to Madrid, Diego painted his most famous work “Las Meninas”
In 1658 Velázquez was named Knight of Santiago
He fell ill in 1658 and died on August 6, 1660

5. Early Works Old Woman Frying an Egg (1618) The Lunch (1617)
The Adoration of
the Magi (1619)

6. Portraits King Philip IV Pope Innocent X Margarita Teresa Count-Duke
of Olivares
Don Sebastian de Morra
Juan de Pareja
King Philip IV

7. Most Famous Work: Las Meninas
Las Meninas is a portrait of the future empress Margarita Teresa and her entourage painted in Included in the painting is Velázquez himself as well as King Philip and the Queen in a mirror on the wall.

8. Diego VelÁzquez “The painter of painters”