Our History of Art Group are studying the Golden Age of Spanish Art, and on Friday 21 November 2025, Jennifer turned her focus on to Velazquez (Diego Rodriguez de Silva y Velazquez, 1599-1660). Velazquez was born in Seville, possibly of Portuguese parents who were of minor nobility. Velazquez sought to strengthen the standing of the family throughout his career, concentrating on portraits of the minor and major players in the Spanish Royal Family.
At age 11 he was taken in as an artist apprentice by Francisco Pacheco, and ended up marrying Pacheco’s daughter and having two daughters with her. Velazquez started with religious works but his talent was soon spotted as he excelled at portraiture.
Jennifer showed many examples, some of which were repeated for display in different palaces around Europe.
Such was his standing with the Spanish Royal Family that he ended up being the only artist allowed to paint their portraits. We saw many examples of the Hapsburg jaw line in the examples that Jennifer showed, particularly with Philip IV and his brother Cardinal Infante Don Fernando. We also saw many images of the young Prince Balthasar Carlos, seated on a horse about to perform a ‘capriole’ leap from its hind legs, demonstrating his excellent riding skills. Close examination of the clothing of the Spanish Royal Family revealed how Velazquez was able to convey the appearance of brocades and embroidery without producing the same level of detail as Anthony Van Dyck.
After a break for teas and coffees, Jennifer returned with an interesting analysis of The Fab Four of Spanish Art:
Peter Paul Rubens (1577-1640)
Gian Lorenzo Bernini (1598-1680)
Anthony Van Dyck (1599-1641)
Diego Velazquez (1599-1660)
These four artists all travelled around Europe during their working lives, and Jennifer set out to identify who had met whom and where and for how long. There must have been an exchange of ideas, of techniques and experiences that had strengthened art during the period of their lifetimes. We also learned the true identity of the Art Collectors Tom Smith (Prince of Wales and later King Charles I) and John Smith (George Duke of Buckingham). Both were painted, but the painting of Tom Smith has been lost – more than once!
The course continues on Friday 05 December 2025 at 10:00am.