Velazquez: The Importance of Las Meninas
offered by Harvard University

Private University
3 Campuses
Estd. 1636

Velazquez: The Importance of Las Meninas
at
Harvard University
Overview

After looking at related works and details of Velázquez's life, this course focuses on Las Meninas. Social issues around portraiture arise quickly, but issues of representation are crucial, especially now

Mode of learning	Online
Difficulty level	Intermediate
Course Level	UG Certificate

Velazquez: The Importance of Las Meninas
at
Harvard University
Highlights

Earn a certificate from Harvard University
Topics covered: Art History

Velazquez: The Importance of Las Meninas
at
Harvard University
Course details

Skills you will learn

Photography Prince2

More about this course

Diego VelÃ¡zquez (1599-1660), painter to a powerful prince in life, has been esteemed as a prince among painters since his death
By 1900 recognition of his achievement attracted an international group of painters like Ãdouard Manet, James Abbott McNeill Whistler, John Singer Sargent, Henri Matisse, and Pablo Picasso
This interest persists among artists today, who respond now to VelÃ¡zquez in video and film, sculpture, and photography
In this development, one VelÃ¡zquez work has emerged to command sustained attention: Las Meninas. Created in 1656, it first went on public view when the Prado opened in 1819. Its size (10 1/2 by 9 feet) conveys importance, but its composition, technical virtuosity, and magisterial space give iconic grandeur. Unsurprisingly, interpretations abound
After looking at related works and details of VelÃ¡zquez's life, this course focuses on Las Meninas
Social issues around portraiture arise quickly, but issues of representation are crucial, especially now
These involve what we do not see but know, as painted space invades real space and the passage of time is implicated