Diego Velazquez

A Spanish court artist back in the 17th Century, it was there that he painted Pope Innocent X . The X makes it cool. This is one of his most famous paintings, but he's done a lot that are worth note. Christ Crucified, The Coronation of the Virgin and A Dwarf Sitting on the Floor (The Dwarf Sebastian de Morra ) I think that last one is famous because everybody just loves Midgets. Seriously, The guy could paint. The way He married color, space and line, particularly in his portraits, made him stand out among his contemporaries. I could stare at Christ Crucified all day. The fusion between the light foreground and dark background, face obscured, and the detail of the wood grain on the Cross and the tone and curves of Christs flesh create an overall powerful picture. He influenced a lot of Great artists, Manet and Picasso among them.

Brilliant stuff. I have had the unutterable pleasure of viewing some of his work in the Prado, and remember feeling awed by his ability to convey character with brush-strokes. His portrait of Pope Innocent X captures the cunning and intelligence of perhaps the greatest political figure in Papal history, and his other work is no less insightful. One of my favorites.

Give these five Velasquez pics a try on wikipedia. Thousands of painters and learned scholars can't all be wrong - Kenneth what's-his-name excluded: Pablo de Valladolid – 1635, Museo del Prado, Madrid 212,4 cm × 125 cm http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/ff/ Velazquez_Pablo_de_Valladolid.jpg La rendición de Breda (The Surrender of Breda) – 1634-1635, Museo del Prado, Madrid, Spain 121 in × 144 in http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/1e/ Velazquez-The_Surrenderof_Breda.jpg Juan de Pareja – 1650, Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York City 32.0 in × 27.5 in http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e4/ DiegoVelazquez_JuandePareja.jpg Portrait of Pope Innocent X, Giovan Battista Pamphili – 1650, Roma, Galleria Doria-Pampili 45 in × 47 in. http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/2e/ Innocent-x-velazquez.jpg Las Meninas – 1656, Museo del Prado, Madrid 125.2 in × 108.7 in. http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/99/ Las_Meninas_01.jpg

not bad me no likey

ZZZZZ....

Amazing artist....I think the best of all time.

I've only recently come to appreciate Spain's greatest artist.The subject matter and colours of many of his paintings are not always instantly appealing,but when you take a closer look...! For absolute mastery of tones and texture,see The Waterseller,and An Old Woman Cooking Eggs,an extraordinary composition,with the young boy's arms and head seeming to float in mid air.The Toilet of Venus is,literally,elegance personified,.The portrait of Pope Innocent X brilliantly captures a personality that is anything but innocent.The Surrender of Breda has its surprises,the portraits of Infanta Margarita have immense charm.His masterpiece,though,has to be the awesome Las Meninas.Here,Velasquez comes outside himself to not only include a self-portait,but also place the viewer as the King and Queen of Spain,( vaguely glimpsed in a distant mirror),confronted by members of the Royal family and court(and a less than excited dog!).A painting which never fails to amaze me.Had he created nothing else,he ... Read more