Diego Rodríguez de Silva y Velázquez, or simply Velázquez (Seville, 6 June 1599 - Madrid, 6 August 1660) was a Spanish painter who worked as court painter to the Spanish king Philip IV, for whom he made many portraits of the royal family, as well as some religious paintings, genre pieces and other works.
His early work in Seville shows exceptional realism and dignity, pleasure in capturing a number of different structures, rich use of colour and contrasts of light and shadow.
His other work is strongly based on observation, with which he has much in common with the Dutch Baroque painting school. Velázquez was interested in all aspects of life: the light that falls on a jug, a piece of fabric or a carafe with water, for colour nuances and shadows, but especially for the look in people's eyes, for the small traits around their mouths, for the lines in their faces.
The myth is still present in Velázquez's work, but never without irony or commentary. Bacchus is honored by cheerful, wine-drinking peasants. Athens and Arachne have to give way to the background, in favour of the simple workers of the spinning mill in the foreground of the painting.
The works of Velázquez belong to the Baroque era.
