VELAZQUEZ: The Complete Paintings

Описание: VELAZQUEZ: The Complete Paintings
FERNANDO CHECA Book Number: 79924 Product format: Hardback

One of the greatest painters of all time, Velázquez produced subtle portraits which seem to penetrate the sitter's soul, and he also painted some highly enigmatic groups and conversation pieces that have never ceased to arouse controversy. Among his most famous portraits is a realistic study of Pope Innocent X, the hard-featured ambitious politician of the Pamphilj dynasty. Amazingly, Innocent himself was delighted, and modern viewers can compare it with Francis Bacon's study of screaming popes inspired by Velázquez's masterpiece. Born in Seville, he became the favoured court painter of the Spanish King Philip IV, and his numerous studies of Philip include a heroic portrait of the king on horseback, masterfully controlling his mount, and a few years later a more thoughtful study of "Philip IV in Brown and Silver", a meditative pose of the king in ceremonial costume, with the glittering robes and background red curtain symbolising his majesty. Prince Balthasar Carlos, the heir, is portrayed riding out of the canvas, signifying that he represents the future. Velazquez's many portraits of European royalty include Mary of Austria, Queen of Hungary, depicted with dignity and character rather than conventional beauty. His striking classical studies include a vivid imagining of Mars, the war god, resting after battle, his muscled torso slumped in weariness. Among Velázquez's controversial paintings is the "Fable of Arachne", in which Arachne has woven a tapestry casting doubt on Jupiter's morals and is condemned to be transformed into a spider. The work is often seen as an allusion to the theoretical and practical aspects of artistic creation. A superb catalogue raissonné. 223pp, bibliography, colour reproductions of all Velázquez's works.
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