Las Meninas: Is This The Best Painting In History?
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SOURCES:
Joel Snyder and Ted Cohen, “Reflexions on "Las Meninas": Paradox Lost” Critical Inquiry
Vol. 7, No. 2 (Winter, 1980), pp. 429-447
George Bauer and Linda Bauer, “Portrait Practice In ‘Las Meninas’” Notes in the History of Art
Vol. 19, No. 3 (Spring 2000), pp. 37-42
Emily Umberger, “Velázquez and Naturalism II: Interpreting "Las Meninas" RES: Anthropology and Aesthetics
No. 28 (Autumn, 1995), pp. 94-117
Marian Ortuño, “Reading Las Meninas: An Ekphrastic Approach to Teaching Don Quijote” Hispania
Vol. 95,No. 4 (December 2012), pp. 681-697
Frederic Chordá, “Computer Graphics for the Analysis of Perspective in Visual Art: "Las Meninas", by Velázquez” Leonardo
Vol. 24, No. 5 (1991), pp. 563-567
Gregory Minissale, “Framing Consciousness in Art: Transcultural Perspectives” Rodopi (May 5, 2009) - บันเทิง
sometimes in this situation i cant help but imagine the painter laugh from the grave and be like "what are you guys analyzing and interpreting, i just randomly made it that way because i liked the way it looks"
is it really suggested that the painter ingeniously thought of all this and carefully structured his painting to draw attention from here to there and stuff?
or is it suggested that the painter unknowingly did this and thus is even more of a genius?.. and all this seems so random..like, all of this is such a grey area.. like Velázquez isnt really in line with the others because his body goes much further down, so why not group all people that have the same body size and make some rule up for this? also i dont mean to hate, i just genuinely don't get this art thing lol. still very interesting video.. at the very least it gave me a bunch of new perspectives
illburninhell art is open to interpretation, and always has been. That is the beauty of it- it's subjectivity.
+Ayşe N Yea i guess thats very true!
No. Most of those classic painters took a lot of time preparing the theme of their paintings. It wasn't something out of their asses. It was methodically and well thought, because, like now, in the past critics would analyze their paintings too, to the minimal detail, specially in search of anti-royal winks hidden in the painting.
illburninhell no in those times the painters actually did try to compose a painting a specific way to show a story beyond the painting and mostly get a message through with symbolism
2hr ago, I was at the Prado Museum, in front of “Las meninas” . Took my headphones and watched this masterpiece listening to this awesome analysis. It was a “once in a lifetime” experience. Thanks for being there with me sharing this moment
@@AsadAli-ov2kp you remembering your dad?
@@mariumkhan9521 how was he gay clever clogs I exist
@@AsadAli-ov2kp people out themselves after birthing someone like you who call people gay just because they like art
@@AsadAli-ov2kp STOP. that's too far. That's incredibly homophobic. 🙅♀️
@@mariumkhan9521 maybe you should out yourself out of the closet cause ur gay
Something I think he should have mentioned: At this time, painting wasn't seen as super honorable, (which was mentioned,) but this painting is also marvelous in that it puts the painter and the monarchs in the same painting. To put them together in the same frame is to say they are equals; he managed to do that in a non-offensive way to the monarchs, and its truly a blast to think about.
And if not possibly the heir, the Infanta. Who knows how long their sickly son would’ve lived?
It demonstrates the position that Velasquez had in Spain. He managed to become one/if not the most important painter in Europe and was a personal friend and counsellor of the king, after 30 years of painting for him. He was granted the Santiago Cross, wich you can see in Velasquez chest in "las meninas".
I would like to read something about this period of time when painting was't appreciated on the same level as other arts. Do you know some article or book where i can do it? :3
@@tomdangelo who is the person on the stairwell?
The King and Queen just walked into the room while he was painting their daughter, and everyone stopped. This is the simplest explanation and the most logical at the same time, since everything fits the bill.
Who doesn't care if the King and Queen enter a room. The kid, the dog, the servant who's focused on the young Princess and the lady who can't stop talking. Wonder if the last one was a subject matter in other paintings.
The "court official" standing on the threshold of the scene in the background is Jose "Nieto" Velazquez, chamberlain of the palace and thought to be one of Diego Velazquez's only close friends and confidantes during this period. They were fiercely competitive, applying for the same court positions throughout their shared tenure.
It's worth pointing that out because it helps us interpret the painting. He is painting all of the figures from his daily life into the same scene, making this a 'snapshot' of his life as much as the princess's. That Nieto is drawn as if a figure from a dream, haunting the ensemble, is not an accident. What that means exactly, is not certain. I think the manner in which he beckons us into the room beyond, out of the setting, speaks volumes, as well. It is actually a reproduction of a portrait of him, which Velazquez painted years earlier.
Another fascinating thing about this painting: x-rays revealed that Velazquez originally painted himself leaning towards the canvas, obscured from view. He later depicted himself standing proudly upright as we can see here. I think that was his way of reminding himself that he deserves proper status in the ensemble.
Hi! the xray thing is so interesting! do you have a source?
@@jessbie_6178 source is a book called "the vanishing man: in pursuit of velazquez". its amazing, highly recommend.
@@TheSludgeMan thank you so much !
@@TheSludgeMan Wow, incredible. Thank you
You sir must get like all the art museum chicks with this.
+Paul Staker Because a passion for art is all about getting laid.
Jack Heathen You bet your ass.
Paul Staker I was using EXTREME sarcasm.
Jack Heathen Eh. Seen worse.
+Paul Staker For God's sake.
I like the guy at the back doing a paintingbomb.
Polecat Slam ... hahaha excellent!
Polecat Slam One must say the paintingbomb is probably the prank which needs the most dedication ever. That dude had to stand there for hours just to get a laugh.
😂
I think Valazques is in love..
"Ya'll taking a picture?" Lol
The main focus of the painting never got a mention?
I'm talking about the dog.
I n e v e r n o t i c e d a d o g
Wow how cool and different. Yes doggo haha. Cute haha. DoG iN pAnITnING ahAhaHAH. CUtE haAHAHAaaaha
@@kermit8173 fuck off people are allowed to like dogs
I feel like the dog is scared
Daniel Gisborne you fuck
The way he’s looking at us while painting almost suggests to me that we are the king and queen and we are being painted and the reflection is what he’s painting, so I think both of your points are right at once
literally gasped when the thing about the mirror reflecting the canvas and not the viewer was pointed out. so, so good!!!
+Gabbi Campos wouldn't the painter block the reflection of the canvas though?
+Redza could be a reflection of only a part of his painting
+Gabbi Campos Its ambiguous. I don't see any "vanishing points" in this painting.
The supposed mirror cannot be a mirror at all. It's a glass window. How do I know? Because everyone knows that a mirror is ALWAYS halfway between the subject and the reflection. So in the case of this painting, the subjects - the king and queen, would be so close to the mirror that you would be able to see the backs of them in the foreground.
Fummy Actually, the walls on the right have a vanishing point, if you look hard enough.
this painting is a close second to the dogs playing poker painting
Seems fair
No. Not even close.
+MrQueroseno Yeah. Dogs playing poker is way better.
+theparkourhobo Keep thinking that m8. Then learn to study paintings and begin to admire this masterpiece.
MrQueroseno I have do that and the dog is still top 1
The door itself is divided between panels of two and three, as well.
yoooo whattttt
Dayummmmmm
Damn
Damnnnnnn, making things very deliberate
wowww i had to look at the painting again
The sensation you have when you are in front of the painting is that them all are watching you, you are the painting that they are observing. It was really an experience.
You're talking so clearly and slowly which is really helpful for me because English isn't my native ^^
I'm in the same page here :) ¿what is your native lenguaje? Mine is spanish...
Sari Peti me too. I speak spanish. Enjoy this analysis
Sari Peti Portuguese speaker from Brasil here. This channel is such a treasure! Love the way he talks calmly and gracefully.
Native spanish speaker here, as well
i just finished writing my damn paper on this and i see this.
hello darkness my old friend
i've come to talk to you again
It is Diego Velazquez’s intent that the mirror image shows reflection from more than one possible angle.
The King and Queen could be directly in front of the mirror.
But, they could also be staring at the mirror reflection of their own portrait on the canvas.
There are deeper philosophical nuances to this painting titled, “Maids of honor”.
z it’s Spanish
Minecraft allows you to be creative, just as art does. you can explore a world, create anything that comes to your mind with no standards. this coming from an artist of 20 yrs, it's an amazing game for people who want to explore their creativity.
Good job.
Amazing video. Thank you so much for it 🙏
Why did no one noticed you here ? XD I only watched like 3 of videos but love em tho.
This gem is exactly why r/ClassicalEducation is growing so quickly
Gawx, i didnt expect you here!
My bruda
I think the best part of the painting is how it seems to capture a moment as if it was captured by camera well before any images had ever been captured by cameras.
+rudyrudiger84 That's precisely why paintings like these back then were such a big deal. Plus paint was expensive so not everyone could do it.
+rudyrudiger84 Yes!!!
+Nerdwriter1 i dont usually comment on youtube . Check out Gattaca. Or Primal Fear. Very different films.
@@MissHeathenthey had to make them themselves which is why most greats worked with apprentices. It took lots of hands usually to make things this good. But he was kind of a reprobate so maybe not. Can't take an apprentice on the run so easy.
I had the great honor of seeing this painting in the Museo Del Prado in Madrid, Spain
Alejandro Silva So did I. It really is something else.
Alejandro Silva same, it was a shame that we were in a rush and i couldnt see it more closely
In april i will go to Madrid, the Museo Del Prado is in my list to what to see.
Same, I love Prado and Madrid. I hope I can find a job there and leave everything that place is MAGICAL.
I used to go once a week when I was studying and it was free for me. I spent hours starring at Goya's "Carga de los Mamelucos" and this very same painting. No doubt I'm a little nerdy :). Great explanation.
The first time I saw it in real life i was 7 years old. My mom always tells the story that I sat on the floor and stayed there for 35 min. I wouldn't want to leave and my mom didn't want to make me because she saw how fascinated I was with it. It's truly a master piece.
It hapen the same with me, fifty years ago ...but, for one hour ... because of the masterpiece and maybe because the parents of his father, were from Oporto City , Portugal .... that's why he's Velasquez De Silva ...a portuguese surname.
@Dan Trebune No, im just from Madrid which made it pretty easy for me to visit El Prado at age 7. I bet you are a lot of fun, tho.
I've did the same thing at 18 when i was whatching "la nascita di venere" in florence 😂
things that happened
@@fernandocosta7784 He is not Velasquez De Silva. His father was Rodriguez de Silva and his mother Velazquez.
Velazquez took the surname from his mother who has not any portuguese roots.
Velazquez and Rodriguez have castilian origins and only Silva have Galician-Portuguese origin.
The interpretation I agree with is that Valasquez is painting a royal portrait and the Infantata (and her entourage) has been brought in to amuse the king and queen as they spend hours posing. Those looking at the viewer are actually looking at the king and queen. I love this painting because it's such a unique, clever take on portraiture.
You need your own netflix original
how do we make this happen? rise @nerdwriter1
Now that would be jolly good show
Nah, screw netflix. Buddy's doing just fine here on youtube
Still waiting for the To Pimp a Butterfly analysis =P
for real tho
naahhhh
+Igor Mendonca Sorry man but i don't think he's well versed in the yams
+Igor Mendonca Hopefully you're waiting forever
Indeed
Como española te agradezco que hayas elevado aún más esta obra haciendo un análisis tan bello y minucioso. Thank you on behalf of Spain for elevating this work by making such a beautiful and thorough analysis.
Before watching: Surely that's a subjective opinion, right?
After watching: My brain hurts, I need to lie down.
Fascinating analysis. I wish that there were more TH-cam channels that explored art and less minecraft and prank channels.
You don't have to watch Minecraft or Prank Channels. You can just watch this, or other videos with more deliberate meaning, like VSauce, Veritasium. Enough videos on TH-cam to bother about videos you don't like :).
I know this is an old comment but just in case you haven't discovered "Every Frame a Painting" here on TH-cam you really should check it out. Great content there, I recommend it every chance I get.
Justice J. Srisuk 😉😉😉
Jake Jutras probablemente no vayas a entender esto, pero estoy totalmente de acuerdo contigo :)
right,too much technology and funny empty brains using it for crap
The door literally has 2 and 3 squares down in rows.
5 of 2 and 4 of 3 … but is that what the door really looked like?
But why specifically 2, and 3?
What is the symbolic significance?
@@ManHeyuan 2 ppl can make it become 3 people
“See what my art can do, look to my canvas” I’m crying
I love this painting. I spent hours looking at it as a child. I even dresses like the little girl for Halloween.
The more I look at it the more I'm amazed at it.
A cosplay of Margarita Teresa? That's really original and cool, not gonna lie!
Did anyone know what you went as?
Absolutely. This painting is what generated my interest in art. Seeing it in photos is like seeing your favorite food without ever having the experience of tasting it. Visiting Las Meninas at the Prado is a bucketlist-worthy item. It is amazing.
I was wondering why you kept calling that image of the king and queen a mirror. I always thought it was another painting. But then you showed the line of sight where the mirror might be reflecting from. Maybe the mirror is a reflection of the canvas Velazquez is painting on, explaining why they are surrounded in black. Or maybe it's the royal family's reflection, and they are having their portrait painted. Either way, it's almost as if Velazquez is telling the viewer that while the lives of monarchs can come and go, art can last forever. And as an artist, he can control a part of that history.
Miguel Mirrors often have that edge brightness, what i don´t get is the angle, if the mirror is straight to the painting point of view the kings should be in front of it, and if they are to the left is too dark to seen them, so maybe is a short of window.
It's also a mirror because there would be NO other reason for Velasquez to put the goddamn frame of the canvas so clearly and disruptively into the picture. The viewpoint we have is through the eyes of the king and queen, but the reflection in the mirror obviously shows the canvas. It's in the picture to spell out "LOOK, THIS IS A CANVAS"
Miguel Cuervo the king and queen are posing for the painter. so we're seeing through their eyes.
A Lamp Seems the most reasonable answer, but then behind the kings should be a big mirror so Velazquez could paint a front view of the Meninas and the rest.
Miguel Cuervo it obviously is a mirror because it shows the typical light reflex around the edges, also it wouldn't make sense that it looks so bright otherwise, when all other paintings on the wall are dark.
I heard this story first hand from Philippe de Montebello. First he said Las Meninas was by far his favorite work of art ever made. Then he sold a story how in the 1970's there was a meeting of 100 or so museum directors (don't remember where...) and someone decided to play a game whereby each person would list 5 works of art they wished to have in their museum collection. Every one, except the Prado director, put down Las Meninas on her or his list, and it was the only painting that made everyone's list.
One thing’s for sure, it’s fails in comparison to Bold and Brash
I was like, wow how come I never heard of this one, so googled it,and yeah... LOL
More like, belongs in the trash
When compared to _Bold and Brash,_ lesser works of art like _Las Meninas_ *BELONG IN THE TRASH!*
ARGARGARGARGARGARGARGARG!!!!
It* pales* in comparison, and yes I agree.
Whoever's curious what bold and brash painting is , simply look at the profile picture of the guy who commented . That's the painting.
For the english people confused by the lots of "Velazquez I am beautiful?" purposely written in bad spanish, there is a spanish trap videoclip featuring this painting about princess Margarita asking Velazquez if he finds her beautiful because she's obsessed about the idea that she might be so ugly that she will not get married.
Robert Gonzalez what? The song is pretty funny tbh.
Entonces yo soi guapa?
As dixo que me casare
@J Robert It's cultural thing, you idiot, not everyone has the same sense of humour as you. If you actually knew spanish and knew about the history of the Spanish royalty you would find that praody hilarious, you're too idiotic for that though
Thank you for sharing! I actually found it quite funny :)
Great analysis. Would love to see you take on Rothko.
+Dom's Sketch Cast
Rothko......Zzzzzz
+Dom's Sketch Cast I saw a real Rothko in real life in real size. It hits you man. Got me in the feels.
+Dom's Sketch Cast blech, hate rothko. What ever analysis comes from his work we need to step back and remember that he painted squares and rectangles, that is it.
***** i have, they don't. Im not easily moved especially by mere color theory.
+Eli Kelley It's not just color theory, instead of taking a distance Rothko invites to come close and let the painting overwhelm you. His paintings are probably some of the best abstract paintings as they convey the emotions of the painter without trying too hard.
Valasquez was and is a genious
Salvador dalis's very fave !
genius
Velázquez
iz
No you had it right at first he dead
I've always loved this painting. Your interpretation of it is astonishingly insightful. I've been a painter for forty years and realize how much I still have to learn.
the learning never stops the more you know the more you realize there is more to know
U r truly great ,if ur finding u hv more to learn after 40 yrs
i remember my art teacher really focusing on this painting, couldn't quite remember why but this was a good refreshing
What Velasquez is also saying this: look closely at what you are seeing. And also: look, but the eye can trick you. That is why you have the trick of the reflection of the painting he's working on and, if you notice closely, the dwarfs are painted in a more blurry fashion than the princess. They are out of focus slightly; the eye acts this way too when it sees.
So, in the end, Las Meninas is about painting. But painting is about seeing. The painter can trick you into seeing things, but your mind tricks you into seeing things as well.
Anyway, well done. I don't think you can get much better than Velasquez.
jay dubya Velazquez, with two "z"
I've recently discovered "Nerd Writer", so I wanted to spend a few moments as well as words thanking you for the segments revelling facts upon many of the finest paintings in history, along with their creators. Being an aspiring writer, I'm wanting to absorb as much information as possible in the most condensed amount of time as to what most sources will allow, also there's the massive amount of enjoyment watching your videos. Excellent and by far one of my favorites to view combined with the educational aspects of watching makes me a dedicated "Nerd Writer Watcher!"
I saw this painting several years ago. It had attracted the largest crowd I.ve seen before a piece of art. It is the most memorable painting I.ve seen. There is such a great amount of detail it is amazing.
Okay, I'm at 1:56 and I'm already impressed. Not because the quality of the brush strokes, but because of the quality of the thoughts behind them.
I don't know. I think the mirror is showing the king and queen posing, not the painting. I'm not an art historian or critique, but I think it is showing how lifeless portraits can often be, while life is playing itself out in the background in much more interesting ways. It's kind of like a meta-painting criticizing how posing for a portrait drains the life out of art, while spontaneity is alive all around. Probably completely wrong, but that's my interpretation.
rgaud8 is not bad actually the first analysis I saw of this painting arrived to a similar conclusion
rgaud8 yea I think its reflecting the king and queen posing, showing the viewer exactly who they are and from what point they're viewing
rgaud8 I love your theory
this is what good art does, everyone should have their own opinions and thoughts on it. The fact we are talking about it after 300 plus years speaks to its lasting appeal in any case.
It's doing both, actually. It reflects the painting, which the viewer is the subject of.
It's helpful that "nerdwriter" moves the various pieces and subjects of the painting around and highlights certain aspects of it for us. It allows for greater insight into the different angles, groupings, lines, color, light, depth, meaning(s), etc. All of his art videos are done really well.
Is the "male dwarf" really a dwarf or just a male child?
I thought it was a little girl
hes a dwarf
It’s an Italian prince
BERTIL SCALI Yes, that one girl is a dwarf but the other person is not
@@eliseereclus3475 xy
. m , mlm
Excelent video! I am from Spain and I was lucky enough to see Las Meninas a few years ago at El Museo del Prado in Madrid. It is an enormous painting and really impressive. You did a great job describing and discussing Velazquez's work. :)
Don;t forget the door. It's like the "key" with it's 2-3-2-3 recessed pattern to pointing out the double triples.
but what does the 2-3-2s pattern stand for?
solokom Primae facie that kind of stuff is usually holy trinity/dual nature of man stuff. Artists of the time were very keen on Christian symbolism, especially in depictions of pagan myths and of royalty.
but that`s just a guess right?
well that's actually the way the door was made. you can visit the palace and see it for yourself. maybe the person who made the door did that on purpose though.
there used to be a painter outside who would paint you into a copy of Las Meninas for about €30
I like it
I can add to this from personal experience on coming face to face with this painting that it shook me, literally & physically shook me. Something that I had never happened before, or since. This painting is so charged with energy as if it is performance art.
Truly a fantastic video, Sir, and a beautiful in-depth analysis of the painting. I’m quite sure that Señor Velázquez would have a bright smile on his face, seeing and hearing that his genius work has been not only recognized as such, but also thought about very seriously, deeply and respectfully and articulated so nicely. Excellent job, subscribed immediately, hope to see more such grand videos! 👍🏻✌🏻😇
Sometimes I get the feeling that if the famous painters of history would listen to modern art experts analyze their work they would be very confused.
+TheLivirus This.
+TheLivirus "Wait... what? I just painted a bunch of people in a room.. you people need to calm yourselves down."
Diego Velázquez's ghost, 2016
You might be right =).
But as we are living at this moment, we can step back and study it throughly, and find out some cool thing. That something amazing is coincident or not won't change how amazing itself is.
Just tell you some thought of mine.
+TheLivirus Actually, many of the compositional tricks and techniques were like industry secrets back then. these artists understood that to be successful an image had to read well, it had to present the right things in the right way to direct the viewer to the intended focuses etc. there is real evidence that this is intentional in all of the practice work and sketches that the artists would do before (most of which would be destroyed because they are like secret papers from a big business explaining how they're using some new trick to persuade people to buy their product).
if you see an image and dont question it thats because the person behind the canvas/camera has done a ton of work on that composition. painting like this has much more to it that "just painting a bunch of people in a room"
+TheLivirus I don't think that the author's perspective is really the main point - most of art is the relationship between the individual that takes part in it and the work itself, which is very different for everyone. Obviously there are patterns and in this time specific methods were taught to most artists (perspective, vanishing point, etc.), so things can be generalized - but in the end it boils down to that basic concept
I don't know. You said a lot about it, but most of it didn't really seem to mean much. Maybe I just don't get this one.
+Racist Bassist Exactly. I want to see it, but it all seems so....futile. I had that problem all the way thru art class, figured everything was an overall composisionXD
+Racist Bassist well, this painting was all about technique. It's a "meta paint". It's basically saying that It's awesome being technically awesome. It's not like "The Death of Socrates" or something like that.
+Racist Bassist Agreed. Was not convinced.
+Igor Mendonca Even "The Death of Socrates" is kinda meta now not because it discusses art but cause its discussed mostly in an artistic context. Unlike "Mars and Venus An Allegory of Peace" (Lagrenee) a beautiful painting that can be fully understood with little back knowledge.
+Racist Bassist But dude everyone is grouped in 2s and 3s making it the best painting ever. Not to mention the focal point is at the door.
I saw this painting in the Prado Museum in Madrid, it is incredible. I like to think that Velazquez is looking at us, the viewer, and in spite of the beautiful scene in front of him, he is painting his greatest masterpiece on the canvas that we only see the back of. He is painting us, the viewers, as we gaze upon this painting he captures the awe his art inspires in us. That's the masterpiece. That's what makes this piece powerful.
Pienso exactamente lo mismo.
I love the visual demonstrations that support your analysis!!
Before i finish your video i must say that this particular painting gave me the most chills i've ever had and not the good ones...I don't know why but it's so scary to me!
the eyes
The cross was added later, when he was admitted.
Considering that i am not religious at all and i find comfort in things of dark nature, i believe this painting is scary because all eyes are directed at me...It makes me uneasy to see them looking at me
same, i dont like the fact that they are staring right at us..
Same! In the right corner of the mirror there is something red. its probably just the reflection of a light or something, but it looks like some kind of demon with a weird face. I felt like crying when I noticed that lol
You haven't seen _Las Meninas_ until you've seen at the Prado (Madrid). Monumental.
+Micah Newman Did you like it?
I go to the Prado two or three times a year and I'm always feel drawn by Las Meninas as the first time. Amazing painting, amazing museum.
Apart from his obvious skills at painting, I would like to remark that Velazquez started to portray people who were poor, had deformities o were simple people, not noblemen or monarchs, with the same detail, interest and delicacy as if they belonged to a high status. Here we can observe this as well, since there are two dwarves on the right sharing painting with the "infanta" Margarita and her parents, the King and Queen.
Saw these paintings today as I’m visiting Spain and I just had to go back and watch these videos :) made it much more exciting that I had heard his amazing analysis
weirdest commenters ever in this comment section
*_Tell me I'm guapa!_*
trixie tang dime que soi guapa
Velaske dise k me via kasá huehuehue
Velaske dise k soi guapa
entonces yo soi guapa?
I have a much deeper appreciation for art now. Also for the next video, can you do a piece on Hans Zimmer?
What a great idea! Would love to hear his thoughts on this. : )
+Mendy Friedman Most overrated composer of our time. He hires composers to write music for him.
+Mendy Friedman Zimmer does write catchy tunes, but IMO his work can't really be compared to the incredibly refined and complex works of Velásquez and some of the other painters, cinematographers, etc. analysed on this channel. To be honest I don't even know what there would be to analyse. His compositions, while perfectly nice to listen to, are technically rather simple, not very innovative, and don't carry a lot of meaning.
+Mendy Friedman Yes! him and John WIlliams
+Mendy Friedman Or maybe Alexandre Desplat
I went to the Prado Museum today... I stood 3 feet away from this masterpiece. It was unforgettable. I needed to come watch this again and thank you for such an amazing case study.
Honestly, thank you for these art videos. They are eye openers into a world I’ve neglected for way too long due to lack of understanding. Thank you, really.
This is certainly a painting of exceptional design and executed with masterful skill but I personally do not accredit it as preeminent amongst paintings. To me it is, through no fault of its own, caught in its own history. As a baroque painting, moving past the renaissance techniques, it lacks the expressive fluidity achieved by later paintings. This is all preference but the exact geometry of it makes it too posed. It is like a victorian photograph where everyone, even those in apparent motion, are rendered with a sense of permanency. They hold their positions for the painting rather than move through the painting. But this is all just me.
+99thTuesday I agree. It is remarkably well-composed but it just reminds me of photographs that are meant to look candid but obviously aren't.
I agree, it lacks movement and, subsequently, life.
+Kevin Cobb I accept what you're saying,however my point was to challenge the suggestion that this work is the epitome of painting as a medium. I believe that later painting such as Gericault's Romanticism or Renoir's Impressionism accomplish more in the field of painting than this work. Now to be fair this is definitely a masterpiece of Baroque style and of highly symbolic paintings, but to suggest that it is a contender for the best painting does not square with either my tastes or my understanding of the formal success of paintings. This is notwithstanding that both of these standards are, I'll admit, highly subjective.
+Owneador1337 fuck picasso, best spanish artist is velazquez
Wouldn't the sense of permanency aid the painting? The King and Queen are not supposed to look at other art forms- poetry, music, storytelling- but rather at the painting. The pause in the room signifies an abrupt end to something. Stop. Reevaluate. Look at me. How else could that feeling be evoked without a candid shot? Haven't you ever wanted to scream at people arguing for them to just stop and listen to you?
The rarest Pepe is the best Painting in history.
I can't thank you enough for creating such a wonderful video. Thank you so much for your time and educating us on different aspects of painting.
This is a masterpiece , whether you like it or not. Valesquez is brilliant.
12 subjects dude, don't forget the dog alright
I don't mean any disrespect, but I never understood and I still fail to understand these incredibly nitpicky detail-obsessed analyses of old paintings. We laugh at all the conspiracy nuts, when they draw triangles on pictures and see imaginary lines and lineups and such, but I really have to wonder how this is any different. I can't imagine that an artist would sit there and deliberately think to himself "Hmm, how can I really make things interesting? Ah I know. I'll make the right edges of three unrelated objects roughly correspond to the positions of three of the characters."
To me all of this seems like people looking for patterns in desperate hopes of finding sophistication where there might never have been any intended.
Again: I don't mean any disrespect, I'm just not big on the interpretation of paintings.
+HOLyPumpgun | Gaming I get what you mean, but you also kind of have to understand that painting was different back then. While we have the technological advantage of paint in tubes today, the 17th century painters didn't necessarily have access to all colors, and would probably spend a lot of time planning and mixing their colors (and then, they would have to make sure the colors didn't dry out in the process). Las Meninas is a huge and incredibly detailed painting that must have been an enormous task. Artists were in general familiar with the laws of perspective and composition, after studying old masters and following "rulebooks" and conventions developed by the 15th and 16th century painters and mathematicians. So while this might seem convoluted and complicated to contemporary viewers, the complicated analysis might make more sense if we look at it through more of an historical viewpoint. Because a painting like Las Meninas would have to include a lot of planning, assuming he worked a lot on the compositional quirks isn't a far stretch.
Also: in art analysis, one mostly differs between intention and interpretation. We have no idea of knowing the artist's true intention. So when we read a painting, we might describe our interpretations of it without necessarily attributing them to the intentions of the artist. Psychoanalytical interpretations actually generally disregards intention altogether, mostly looking at what the artist might convey subconsciously! (Personally I think this often is BS but it makes for some entertaining reads) Of course we can talk about intention more if the interpretation makes sense, both in what the picture contains and the context around it. For example, knowing the context and history of Velásquez, it makes sense that he included a few touches in his painting that would elevate his status as a painter. We can't say for sure that it was his intention, but we can agree that it's possible that the painting can be read that way.
+HOLyPumpgun | Gaming
The geometry analysis is useful for working out what the artist was thinking and intending when he painted it. The artist would have known whether it was his own painting or the actual royals in the mirror. He would also very carefully arrange and frame everything, so if it's ambiguous it was probably meant to be ambiguous. Why can't you imagine an artist working that out? Perhaps he did it intuitively, but every artist worth his salt thinks carefully about the composition.
+HOLyPumpgun | Gaming The whole point of many of these painters painting this was showing off their skill. They all wanted to be the greatest and be recognised for their talent, for that they had to paint extremely complicated compositions. For Velazquez, who was a vain and ambitious man, his whole purpose in life was to become the greatest painter of his time, hence the use of both the Rubens paintings (who was considered one of the greatest) as the theme of defying and challenging gods.
Not all paintings or painters benefit from such an approach, but the ones I've seen here do.
+HOLyPumpgun | Gaming actually people still think about such things nowadays in a lot of paintings. Composition and presentation are a huge part of painting.
DeliciousDishes Yeah, I didn't mean to imply that we don't anymore. I just wanted to underline how important planning would have been then vs today, since today we have access to mass produced materials that simplifies the process of painting a lot. We have the freedom to paint more intuitively today, if we want to.
I am very curious about how did you learn to analyze paintings like these ! I have also watched death of Socrates on your channel and it was so mind blowing. I just want to know how an artist or suppose you are able to interpret art ? How can you be so sure that a painting is trying to interpret this only ? Please please please enlighten me about the questions i have asked!!!!!
This probably took a lot of painstaking detailed observation and research (based on the critics he was referencing).
I love this question, as I am too curious of how he analyzes this
Many great art theorists and philosophers analyzed Las Meninas, for example Foucault. At any decent university you'll have to read that text if you're studying aesthetics. Also studying aesthetics teaches you how to see paintings and read poetry etc. in context, because no art is entirely new, and everything exists in context. But classical art, like Las Meninas is easier to analyze, than something avantgarde. I think in order to learn the skills required to see paintings in context and understand that all great paintings were made by humans who gave it a lot of thought at preparation, so it's able to be interpreted, you'll have to start from reading Plato and Aristotle, then advance to Winckelmann, Kant, Hegel, Heidegger, Aby Warburg, Lukács etc.
@@mbgmbgmbg omg that is so helpful ! I never about this
Experience with artworks
In the 1990s I overheard a tour guide at the Metropolitan Museum in NY (in front of Velázquez Juan de Pareja), tell the following story, which I cannot confirm with precision: There was a meeting of museum directors at a museum in Europe with more than 100 members, and on the last day someone decided to play a 'game' of sorts, whereby each museum director would write a list of the 10 works of art they most desired for their collection, provided, of course their museum did not have it. In the end, there was was only one painting in everyone's list, except the Prado's director, and it was Las Meninas.
The variety in content is truly what separates your channel from everybody else. However, where the content may vary, the quality is undeniably fantastic.
I love your voice what microphone do you use? Thanks a lot from a Spaniard with an Art History Degree
He uses the bent-up type that already has a story to tell. 8:19
the trick is to beat the hell out it to get that voice sound
Laurence Goldkamp underrated comment😂
Just found your videos today! N gotta say that you're the first to make me want to fully listen to the whole video! Love that you get to the point n give just enough info. if not all! To understand n comprehend the topic 💕🙌👏
I was at the Prado a week back and honestly this video helped me gain some very new and unique insights into the painting, tysm!!!
this has to be my favorite video on TH-cam so far.
Clad you are analysing paintings again :D Although i would like to see you analysing poems from T.S Eliot. :)
+Jouy Koll I suggested The Wasteland before, but he said it'd be way too much time consuming xD
Prufrock would be amazing as well though :D
+Jouy Koll, change your pic to Bernie 2020. Feel the Bern. #Bernie2020
My favourite room at the Prado. Thanks for this fascinating look at a fascinating canvas.
I had seen Las Meninas twice in the Prado and wrote a dissertation on it as part of the Art History course when I took a Fine Art degree at the University of Newcastle upon Tyne UK. This is a fascinating formal analysis of this masterpiece. I remember focusing on who is . the main focus of this painting.? Status had something to do with it as well, Valesquez became a 'Don' at the completion of the painting. There were issues with Valesquez having a Sephardic ancestry. The layers of the conceptual and formal in this work are astonishing. This is why this ranks as one of the world's greatest paintings. This is a true masterpiece. Thank you so much for posting this.
You didn't say that all their heads form the Corona Borealis constelation also known as Margarita, the name of the young lady.
you opened my understanding of painting and a whole different level of art, thank you!
Seeing this painting was a marvellous experience remembered for many years.Thank you for your analysis.
Just discovered this channel. I feel like this explanation made the painting come alive for me. Thank you.
Wow this is a great analysis. I am currently in an art school so I knew about this painting, but we just had to learn the facts - who painted it and when.. it's a shame really, but I learned more about art from your videos than from the 3 and a half years of art high school. One of the greatest points of maturing as an artist is when you realise that art is more than just trying to perfectly draw something you see.
I have visited the Prado Museum (Madrid), The Louvre Museum (Paris), The Vatican Museum (Rome) and would say; YES LAS MENINAS: IS THE BEST PAINTING IN HISTORY. Salutations from, USA.
The best painting of the prado is that of van der Weyden
I liked this painting before, now its definitely own of my favourites. This analysis totally BLEW UP MY MIND. Thanks!
Well done on these art analyses. I’m not the type that sees all these things but I love when the real depth is revealed.
So this painting is like when a rapper raps about how amazing he is at rapping?
Dave Smith-Charron if you want but showing it at the same moment
Entonces yo soi guapa?
I saw this. They had it hung in its own room and it took up the entire wall across from the entrance. It is life size. The painting almost breaths. When I walked in I felt the urge to apologise because it pulls you in and you really feel like you just walked in on the screen. Closer the brush is mesmerizing. I didn't want to leave the room.
You didnt make any mention of the dog, thats true. I always wondered what made me like this picture so much, now I know, it plays with my eyes and brain.
God what a beautiful video. The comment at the end about slowly then confidently believing in witnessing the best of humanity was the exact feeling I had while watching this video. I slowly fell in love with Las Meninas and it’s now one of my favorite paintings.
This is a skillful painting to be sure, the play between light and dark is fantastic, the movement that seems so apparent immediately before and after the particular moment captured is fantastic, but I can't help but feel that you do art a disservice to imply that any and every viewer would think this to be an example of the finest the medium has to offer. Art is subjective, of course, but the framing of your argument seems to place your opinion as objective; purely resultant from the quality of the work and without any taint of personal taste, and that's simply not the case. This painting is skillfully composed and painted, but to my eyes it's cold and impersonal, the focus put on the structure of the work is almost entirely obscuring the emotive qualities that the work might have had. I don't much care for this painting, nor the paintings done in this style, I tend to prefer contemporary works far more than the great classics and in that personal taste art flourishes. To my eyes Mona Lisa is an average portrait painted in extraordinary detail, and while it is undeniably more detailed and difficult to produce than the works of Basquiat, da Vinci's work doesn't even touch Basquiat's for my taste.
The best gallery experience I've ever had was with a format I typically dislike in a gallery context (video), a collection of Bu Hua's animation was being played and most of my friends left after the second started playing, but by the time her video titled Anxiety was over I was in tears, an intensely personal reaction that I haven't had to any other artwork, and it was a flash animation, a format I've typically disliked, especially so in a gallery. Art to me has always been more vivid and lively the further from a realistic representation it is, so of course my point is entirely biased, but as a lover of art I don't think that Bu Hua's work was the best of its form and I don't look upon the friends that left before seeing her later animations (the ones I preferred and reacted too the most strongly) with any less respect, art is not only personal but in my eyes exclusively personal, to even say that a painting is more deserving of analysis than another is, unless your perspective is exclusively rooted in a structural analysis, completely ridiculous and somewhat elitist. Las Meninas does not touch me emotionally, nor does it stimulate me intellectually and while I can recognise the skill it took to realise the painting as it is I don't particularly care for it and that's the thing that makes art so wonderful, there's no such thing as good or bad art outside of your own viewpoint, something I feel your videos frequently dismiss in favor of a pseudo-objective viewpoint that's both unattainable and unrealistic.
+George Can'tstandya well done in picking the fatal flaw in this video. because of this pseudo objectivity, if you will allow me to borrow your term, there arises another problem - sentimentality. but, its youtube, and in time maybe this poster can work past his cultural attachment to sentiment and aggrandisement, to deliver some really great critique. i think he has potential
+George Can'tstandya This is something that bugged me as well. There is so much classical art to go through to say "there is maybe no painting in the history of the form more worthy of analysis" is to me taking it beyond saying "this painting is incredible and heres why" it puts it above everything else which I feel should be presented as more obvious opinion to separate the over subjectivity and the objectivity of the critique. it is possible to critique art on an objective level which is most of this video
+George Can'tstandya When reading your comment, at first I was going to criticise. But your comment about other works of art being worthier of analysis than others is totally true. I do admire Nerdwriter's passion for this painting, but it is a far stretch to say that it has everything painting has to offer. You can certainly learn a lot from it in terms of composition, which is why I thought I might criticise you, because the majority of things he notes are structural, which is a fairly objective part of art to analyse. Other than that I agree with you. And of course Las Meninas is cold and distant to us, because in its historical context it wasn't made for us in the same way much art is made for public viewing today.
i think your critique is an apt one. very well put together. as for the video, I enjoyed nonetheless. he puts out interesting content in decent way. so to nerdwriter: great work, and to you great critique of it
i think your critique is an apt one. very well put together. as for the video, I enjoyed nonetheless. he puts out interesting content in decent way. so to nerdwriter: great work, and to you great critique of it
I lived in Madrid for 7 years and I have been in El Museo Del Prado several times, there are some beautiful paintings there!!!!
What a brilliant video. Detailed and eye opening analysis, well paced narration, and good use of music to create an engaging vibe that doesn't get in the way of the content. Subscribed to the channel!
All these years later, I still come back to watch this once in a while, I really look forward to the next one in this series
El niño de Sevilla vino a subi el nivel.
Paula Luzuriaga A enseñarle al tonto como se tiene que hacer.
llamame velaskes aka extraordinario
Núria Catena estoy haciendo algo revolucionario
entonse io soi guapa
Velaske, soi guapa?
Thank you. Sometimes, as an artist, I get a little frustrated with interpretations of an artist or writer's intention. But this, I understood and agreed. I would love to hear your take on his use of abstract brush strokes on the Princess' dress...
Stunning use of the medium to present this extraordinary painting so clearly.
That was beautifully narrated and I would love to hear more from you
there is a theory going around saying that they're actually all looking in a mirror
Edrev No really??
I don't think that works. In truth, it's probably how Velasquez did it, but what he's depicting is not that. The king and queen are seeing the scene as they are being painted by him. Their painted images from his canvas are reflected in the mirror so they can see them.
I think so too.
I mean what if the mirror of the king and queen is not a mirror but a painting?
@@aria3299 We are the painting.
@@aria3299 Why is it so clear then?
I'm in love with you? I came across your channel not 30 minutes ago because of your Prisoner of Azkaban video (my favorite HP movie) and then proceeded to watch the Inside Out video and then this one, and all I can say is wow. I'm amazed about the things you choose to talk about and how educated you are, and how much I agree with every single thing you say... i don't know, this never happens to me with youtubers, thank you for doing what you do! You just earned yourself a new subscriber!
Man! This was wonderful. I love your Understanding Art series.
Today is Wednesday, November 1, 2023, I'm in Madrid, Spain on vacation and I just got back from the Museo del Prado Museum and I got to see this majestic painting. Wow! It's huge!!! Very beautiful work of art by Diego Velazquez.
I stumble upon your channel this morning and instantly subscribed! Your content is amazing and it's such joy to see someone including visual arts pop culture and cinema under the same channel for a deepened conversation. Quick question : Have you watched The Witch (2016 movie)? Any thoughts on it or any plans to have it as a Halloween special?!