Sojung Yi February 11, 2013 TA: Rebecca Smith

The Maids of Honor By one of leading artists of the Spanish Golden age, Diego Velzquezs art piece titled Las Meninas (The Maids of Honor) was made in 1656, near the end of his life. The material is oil on canvas painting, and it is nearly 10 feet tall and over 9 feet wide. It had been held in Museo del Prado in Madrid, Spain. Velazquez harmonizes multiple portraits with enigmatic composition, and his skill uses an ambiguous perspective for the viewer and the figures. The piece directly draws in the viewer. Velzquez depicts a scene in the Madrid palace of King Philip IV of Spain in Las meninas. The Infanta (princess) Margaret Theresa is located in the center. Maids, chaperone, bodyguard, two dwarfs and a dog surrounded the Infanta Margarita. In the left side, Velazquez drew self-portrait of working at a large campus. He seems he is looking directly towards the outside. In the background there is a mirror on the wall that reflects a royal couple. Next to the wall, there is a guy pausing on a stair outside of the room. Within the usage of light and composition, Velzquez harmonize those multiple figures in successful way, yet giving an accent to the main figure and attention to the others. Instead of using linear perspective, Velazquez often used light to draw attention to the main figure which is characteristic of the Baroque style, and he uses in Las Meninas. Light comes through the window which is located on the right side. The light illuminates the Infanta Margarita Theresa. The light creates color contrast between front and back of the room as well. The usage of the light harmonizes all the figures, while still drawing a great attention to the main figure, the Infanta Margarita Theresa.

Many figures are depicted in Las Meninas, and enigmatic work of Velazquez blends those figures in mysterious way. The ambiguity of the perspective is the main key that makes the piece mysterious. In many cases, a viewer usually observes painting in the third person point of view or painters perspective. In Las Meninas, the viewer has the impression of being observed by the figures. The figures are looking straightforward, and possibly have eye-contact with the viewer. The self-portrait of Velazquez as a painter in the left side suggests that the viewer is observed even more. At the first glance the attention of the viewer is attracted by the beautiful young girl (the infant Margarita). Then the ambiguous perspective between the viewer and the figures keeps the viewers attention. Interestingly, there is a hint of the ambiguous perspective inside of the picture. It is a royal couple reflected in a mirror on the wall. The figures are actually looking at a royal couple, assumed to be the king and queen, and that Velzquez is painting the couple. Therefore, the viewer stands in the place of the royal couple, and have the same perspective. However, this interpretation can be different from the real intention of Velazquez. The reflected image on the mirror and location of the royal couple still remains as mysterious. Velazquez uses effective light skill and complex-enigmatic composition in Las Meninas. Not only his skill harmonizes all the figures but also leaves mysterious features in the piece. The painting breaks the border between the world inside of the painting and the world outside. The perspective connecting the viewer, the real world, and the depicted image of the real world is tangled up ingeniously, gives the painting a deeper meaning than just a portrait.