on Velazquez

i was thinking about Diego Velazquez today. is he the greatest? he just may be. the oval shaped room in the Prado that is dedicated to him blew my mind.
Saint Thomas on the left is tough and faultless, earthy tones of time frozen fabric cloak Thomas' questioning point of view, but whose possession of book and staff show an unwavering commitment of faith. Look at the firm grip Thomas has on the heavy book for testimony to this, it is beautifully painted. You feel the weight. The composition makes us think he is moving across the canvas, perhaps on his way to Madras in India, where he completed his mission, and where his bones are on display in the San Thome Basilica.










the picture on the left - the infanta dona margarita of austria - is a psychedelic masterpiece - it shimmers like silver in the sun, wet with glory. the organic monster of fabric looms toward the elfin face of the child who is almost lost in the swarms of cloth. its a large painting, whose colour has an unusual milky vibrance. i stared at it for ages, overwhelmed and in love with its weird mystery.

'the triumph of bacchus - the drunkards', and 'the fable of arachne - the spinners' are painted about 30 years apart. the latter not long before his death. the earlier work is stamped in the earth, almost sculptural - like the St Thomas painting its bold and chunky - Velazquez more than confident in his unique ability.

'the Spinners' hovers, your eye drifts along its wispy but no less solid composition. its not as dense as 'the drunkards' and we get more involved somehow. perhaps because its casual, like we have walked into the room that is full of activity. the figure in the  foreground to the left is my all time favourite female in any painting ever made - i know its a big call - but i can think of none better.

Viva Diego Rodriguez de Silva y Velazquez!