Diego Velazquez

About the Artist

Diego Velázquez was born in 1599 and died in 1660; he was a Spanish painter. Active during the Baroque period, he was famous as a court painter for the Spanish royal family. He broadened his international perspective by studying art in Italy, and painted portraits of royalty and prominent figures across Europe. Velázquez's body of work is characterized by realistic depiction and natural composition, showing in particular an attitude of accurately reflecting human emotion and reality. His masterpiece "Las Meninas" (1656) demonstrates the essence of his art and had a great influence on later artists.