Diego Rodríguez de Silva y Velázquez
Born: Diego Rodríguez de Silva y Velázquez, baptized June 6, 1599, Seville, Andalucia, Spain Died: August 6, 1660 (aged 61) Madrid, Spain
Nationality: Spanish Known for: Painting Notable work: The Surrender of Breda (1634–35), Rokeby Venus (1647–51), Portrait of Innocent X (1650), Las Meninas (1656), Las Hilanderas (c. 1657) Movement: Baroque
(baptized June 6, 1599 – August 6, 1660) was a Spanish painter, the leading artist in the court of King Philip IV, and one of the most important painters of the Spanish Golden Age. He was an individualistic artist of the contemporary Baroque period. He began to paint in a precise tenebrist style, later developing a freer manner characterized by bold brushwork. In addition to numerous renditions of scenes of historical and cultural significance, he painted scores of portraits of the Spanish royal family and commoners, culminating in his masterpiece Las Meninas (1656).
Velázquez's artwork became a model for 19th century realist and impressionist painters. Since then, famous modern artists, including Pablo Picasso, Salvador Dalí and Francis Bacon, have paid tribute to Velázquez by recreating several of his most famous works.
