The Painting Is More Mysterious Than It Looks. Here's Why

This is a dog, and this is a dwarf, but is this also a dwarf or just a child? But why is her foot on the dog? There is an unexplained mystery in this painting. Wait, maybe we're meant to focus on this mirror reflection that doesn't look like a mirror reflection at the back of the room. Is this whole painting a reflection of a mirror? This is why many people say the longer you look at this Diego Velazquez's 1656 painting called La Meninas, the more questions arise. And the more questions you ask, the more mysterious it becomes. It's just an unexplained mystery, but let's discover some of those mysteries now. Let's dive into the world of La Meninas and see what wonders await us. Well, there's so much going on in this painting. You know those parties that you're invited to with all these fancy dress-up people and interesting characters? This is one of them. The crazy dance of light and shadow in the painting brings the characters to life and makes the scene even more like a wild party. You could stare at this painting for hours and still find new things to discover. This is a treasure trove of art just waiting to be explored. One of the most prominent interpretations of the painting is that it is also a representation of the Spanish court and the role of the artist in society. The diagonal arrangement of the characters in the painting draws the viewer's eye from the back of the room to the front, with the princess at the center as the focal point. Here is our first mystery, the mystery in the mirror. Our eyes are drawn to the couple reflected in the mirror at the back of the room. Who is this couple? Here we see the figures of King Philip IV and his queen, Mariana of Austria. This is a truly unique perspective on a royal portrait, groundbreaking in a way. Instead of looking at the king and queen, we see the world from their point of view. We are taken into a one-of-a-kind perspective of a royal court. The painting also indicates the relationship between Diego Velazquez and the royal family. By including the king and queen in the reflection, Velazquez presented himself as a cotier who had access to the royal family and was an important figure at the court. But why? Let's go back to some hundreds of years ago. In the year 1622, Velazquez caught the eye of one of Philip IV's advisors, who asked him to create a portrait of the king the following year. Upon viewing the portrait, the monarch, who had recently lost his previous court painter, was pleased with Velazquez's work and appointed him as the new court painter in Madrid. It's like if you were auditioning for a band and the band manager was like, hey, you're pretty good, wanna join the band? Velazquez must have been on cloud nine after that. He's often compared to Shakespeare as both are considered to be masters of their respective art forms, renowned for their exceptional skill, creativity, and influence on their respective fields. The ability of Diego Velazquez's portraits to create a sense of communication or dialogue between the subject of the portrait and the viewer was very unique, just like Shakespeare. But there are some mysteries in this painting. Just because I said it's a mirror doesn't really mean it's actually a mirror. I mean, it looks like a mirror, but what if it's actually a painting? Some people believe it's a portrait. Bear in mind that this right here is a painting. Anyway, most of his paintings give the idea that the portraits convey not only a likeness of the subject, but also a sense of their inner lives and personalities so that the viewer feels as though they are engaging in a conversation with the person depicted. An example of this is the portrait called A Spanish Gentleman. You can see that as you gaze upon this painting, you can't help but feel as though he is gazing back at you, with a sense of communication and dialogue flowing between you and the painted figure. This is not just a mere optical illusion, but rather a feeling that is both eerie and exciting. Let's come back to La Meninas. The focal point of Velázquez's masterpiece, La Meninas, is the young Spanish princess, Infanta Margarita, who appears at the center of the painting. She was approximately five years old at the time of painting. Her maids of honor La Meninas surround her. On her left, one stands ready to make a grand curtsy fit for a princess. On her right, the maid drops to her knees and offers a shiny tray with a refreshing drink for the royal highness. How delightful! It seems like the princess will have a fantastic time with her ladies-in-waiting by her side. She is dressed in opulent attire, befitting a young Habsburg. Interestingly, her gaze is directed not towards her ladies-in-waiting, but instead is fixed directly outward, towards us. If you take a peek at the right side of the painting, you'll see a pair of adorable little dwarves, Barbola from Germany and Pertussato from Italy. But hold up, what's Pertussato up to? He's got his foot on the back of a snoozing dog, trying to wake it up. And that dog is no ordinary pup, my friend. It's a burly and faithful Spanish Mestif, bred to keep those sheepies safe and sound. Fun fact, dwarves played a significant role in the court of King Philip IV, and Velazquez, the artist behind this painting, made sure to showcase their importance by painting numerous portraits of them. So it's not just the princess and her ladies-in-waiting that make this painting unique, but the cute dwarves and their furry friend as well. As we said earlier, you might have noticed that the artist, Velazquez, is not only present in La Meninas, but also has a prominent position. And why not? He deserves it. He was not only the court painter for King Philip IV, but also a curator of the Royal Art Collection, making him a vital part of the court's cultural life. In this painting, you can see Velazquez hard at work, standing in front of a canvas and creating a portrait of the royal couple. The painting studio at the Alcazar is the backdrop of this artwork, and it's the perfect setting to highlight the painter's role in the court. Everything in the painting revolves around him, and why not? He was the mastermind behind it. Hey, did you also notice a red cross on his chest? That's the emblem of the Order of Santiago, which is a super prestigious religious and military group. And guess what? It was really hard to get in! But our man was such a boss that he got accepted in 1659, all thanks to a royal decree. Talk about being a total boss. Now here's the funny part. Some people used to think that he added the cross to his chest later on, but that's not the case. Recent conservation studies have shown that the cross was there all along. So do you think the artist was trying to show off his buddy's future knighthood before it even happened? Some people also think that Velazquez made the painting after he was knighted. In short, this painting remains one of the most celebrated and mysterious paintings in the history of Western art. I'd like to know what you think. Were you able to solve the mystery in this painting? Thank you so much for watching.