Diego Velázquez was a renowned Spanish painter during the Baroque period. Some of his most famous works included portraits of the Spanish royal family and Pope Innocent X. He traveled to Italy in 1649 where he was influenced by Italian masters and painted the portrait of Pope Innocent X, which was praised by contemporaries. Velázquez was appointed as the court painter to King Philip IV of Spain in 1623, a prestigious role he held for the rest of his career. He is considered one of the most important painters in history.

1. By: Jordi Nicolau Barceló, 19. Biel Soler Beltran, 26. Adrián Millán Valle, 15. Desiderio García Román, 13. Velázquez

2. Velázquez’s life: Diego Rodríguez de Silva y Velázquez ( June 6, 1599 – August 6, 1660) He was a spanish painter who worked for the king Philip IV . He was an individualistic artist of the contemporary Baroque period, important as a portrait artist. He painted scores of portraits of the Spanish royal family, and other notable European figures. His most famous picture is Las Meninas (1656). He is one of the most important painters in the world.

3. Velázquez in Italy: With his manservant Juan de Pareja, who was his pupil, Velázquez sailed from Málaga in 1649, landing at Genoa, and went from Milan to Venice, buying paintings of Titian, Tintoretto and Veronese. At Modena he was received with much favor by the duke, and there he painted the portrait of the duke at the Modena gallery and two portraits that now adorn the Dresden gallery. The portrait of the duke gave rise to a great portrait of Pope Innocent X in the Doria Pamphilj Gallery in Rome. Because of that he was received with marked favor by the Pope, who presented him with a gold medal.Velázquez took a copy of the portrait—which Sir Joshua Reynolds thought was the finest picture in Rome—with him to Spain. Lots of copies of it exist in different galleries. Velázquez, in this work, had now reached the manera abreviada , a term coined by contemporary Spaniards for this bolder, sharper style. In 1650 in Rome Velázquez also painted a portrait of Juan de Pareja , now in the Metropolitan Museu of Art in New York City, USA. It captures in great detail Pareja's character and clothes. This picture was like a practise before he would paint the Pope.

4. THE POPE X THE INNOCENT

5. In Spain: In December 1622, Rodrigo de Villandrando, the king's favorite court painter, died. Don Juan de Fonseca conveyed to Velázquez the command to come to the court from the Count-Duke of Olivares , the powerful minister of Philip. Fonseca lodged the young painter in his own home and sat for a portrait himself, which, when completed, was conveyed to the royal palace.. On August 16, 1623, Philip IV sat for Velázquez. Olivares commanded Velázquez to move to Madrid, promising that no other painter would ever paint Philip's portrait and all other portraits of the king would be ‘at the bin’. In the following year, 1624, he received 300 ducats from the king to pay the cost of moving his family to Madrid, which became his home for the rest of his life.

6. Most important or relevant elements of the art: Velázquez is inside the 101 most famous painters of the world. There are lots of painters more, Velázquez is one of this people. He is with: · Pablo Picasso. · Leonardo da Vinci. · Wassily Kandinsky. · Miguel Ángel. · Joan Miró. · Francis Bacon. · Salvador Dalí.

7. In Las Menninas: At the right side of Las Meninas, there is a child whose name is Nicolasito Pertusato. He was a dwarf noble origin of the Duchy of Milan who became the king's valet, and died at seventy-five years. The painting is located in the foreground beside a mastiff. He is coming to Mari Bárbola.

8. In Rendicion-de-Breda I: The man of the left is giving to the man of the right a key. It should be because the man that gives him the key has lost the battle or the war. The battle has finished, there’s only smoke.The animals that we can see are only horses, some of them bigger than others.

9. In El Triunfo de Baco I: El Triunfo de Baco is a painting of Spanish Velázquez, now in the Museo del Prado since 1819. It is popularly known as Los Borrachos. There are lots of colours in the painting. In the painting, the predominant colours are brown, dark colours, like grey and their skin’s colours. The most important element in the picture is the god Bacchus, that crowns with ivy leaves one of the seven drunks. It could be a poet inspired by wine.

10. In El Triunfo de Baco II: The men of the right side are very proud and happy. They are looking how the god Bacchus is crowning another man.

11. Curiosities: Velázquez looks like the teacher Snape of the film Harry Potter.

12. Evaluation: 3: Advanced.