Baroque art: Velasquez, part 1: Las Meninas

Dylan Thomas, as he contemplated death on his 35th birthday, said "the louder the sun blooms."

I have loved that notion for many years.  Still, considerably past my 35th birthday, the sun blooms loudly, sometimes when I contemplate Diego Valesquez' paintings.  Herewith two, much loved by subsequent painters:

Las Meninas (1778), Velaaquez' most famous painting.  It shows a painter painting the Royal Family.  Velasquez stands back to admire hi work.  He also stands in the background doorway.

Details, with doggie.

Painters, to the present day, have reinterpreted this work.  What follows is taken from a helpful blog, Covers:

Picasso, 1957

Picasso, 1957

Picasso, 1957

Picasso 1947

Picasso

Cristobal Toral, D’après Las Meninas, 1975

Manolo Valdés & Rafael Solves (Equipo Cronica), El recinte, 1971

Philippe Comar, Objeto, 1978

Louis Cane, Meninas ajupides, 1982

Soledad Sevilla, Las Meninas num. 9, 1981-83

Micheline Lo, Les Ménines selon Hergé, 1985

Joel Peter Witkin, Las Meninas (Self Portrait), 1987

Avigdor Arikha, Interior del taller amb mirall, 1987

Herman Braun-Vega, double éclairage sur Occident (Velázquez et Picasso), 1987

Henri Jacobs, Salle à manger - salle à mourir, 1988-89

Giulio Paolini, Contemplator Enim VI (Fuori l’autore), 1991

Sophie Matisse, Las Meninas, 2001

Eve Sussman, 89 Seconds at Alcazar, 2003

Howard Podeswa, The Walkers (after Las Meninas), 2005

Thomas Struth, Las Meninas by Velasquez (Prado), 2005

Lluis Barba, Las Meninas (after Velasquez), 2007

Google, 2008

Alexander Stanuga, Las Meninas, 2008

Alexander Stanuga, Las Meninas, 2008

Bob Kessel, Las Meninas, 2009

If you double-click an image and it behaves itself, it should open to a lager size for you.  Peering at this old image and how it has changed oer time will teach something, and, in me, lights up something I like.

___________________________

Velasquez' Portrait of Juan de Pareja is said by art historians to reflect new concepts in the use of light.  I once wished to be an art historian, so I mustn't disagree.

This is how Picasso saw it:

Am i wrong about that?  Guess I must be. An authoritative blog has this

as the successor to this El Grco painting:

Part 2 has no more "afters"; just Velasquez, and my favorites.