Las Meninas 1656 by Diego Velázquez

Las Meninas 1656 by Diego Velázquez
Year: 1656 | Medium: Oil on canvas | Location: Museo del Prado, Madrid

Spanish painter and leading artist of the Spanish Golden Age, Diego Velázquez, painted his iconic work, Las Meninas, in 1656. It’s most famous for its complexities, as this oil on canvas brings to question reality versus illusion, as well as the relationship between the viewer and the subjects shown. Thus, Las Meninas is one of the most analyzed pieces in Western painting.

Though its meaning is widely disputed, according to Spanish art historian F.J. Sánchez Cantón, Las Meninas shows the main chamber of the Royal Alcazar of Madrid during Spanish King Philip IV’s reign. The figures shown are members of the Spanish court – Infanta Margaret Theresa, as well as her maids of honor, chaperone, bodyguard, two dwarfs, and a dog. At the center, looking directly at the viewer is Velázquez himself painting on a large canvas. In the background is said to be the figures of the king and queen.