DIEGO VELAZQUEZ. LAS MENINAS. By: Charo Cabanes.

THE BEST PAINTING OF THE SPANISH HISTORY. THE BEST EXAMPLE OF REALISM. LAS MENINAS. TITLE IN ENGLISH: THE MAIDS OF HONOR.

MANY PAINTERS, LIKE PICASSO HAS COPIED THIS PICTURE. Picasso said: “Velazquez is the best painter in history”.

LAS MENINAS by Velazquez. LAS MENINAS by Picasso.

LA INFANTA CRISTINA by Velazquez. LA INFANTA CRISTINA by Picasso.

WHO IS VELAZQUEZ? His full name is: DIEGO RODRIGUEZ DE SILVA Y VELAZQUEZ. He was born in SEVILLE, SPAIN in His father was a noble man from Portugal and his mother a noble woman from Seville and very rich.

At school he learnt languages and philosophy but, his teachers realised he was very good at painting. They said his fathers to send him to a School of Arts. When he was 12 years old, Velázquez began to study Arts. Francisco PachecoPacheco, an artist and teacher in Seville, was his teacher.

Velázquez married Juana Pacheco, the daughter of his teacher. They had two daughters.

In the 17th century, there was not photos or cameras. Painting was the portraits people had. Velazquez was very good in portraits. He travelled to Italy and make a portrait of the POPE Inocencio X.

The King of Spain saw the portrait of the Pope. He liked so much that he named Velazquez the king's favorite court painter. Velazquez started to paint all the royal family life as if he was a photographer. King Philip IV.

One day Velazquez was working in his studio when the princess and her dames came in. Then the King and Queen came to see Velazquez’s works. In that moment he painted his MASTERPIECE: LAS MENINAS or “ THE MAIDS OF HONORS” in English.

But Velazquez painted more pictures as my favourite: La Rendición de Breda. He died in Madrid in Eight days after, his wife died too.