Velázquez

by Richard Verdi

A comprehensive, illustrated portrait of Diego Velázquez’s life and art examining all his major works.  Diego Velázquez (1599–1660) was one of the towering figures of Western painting and Baroque art, a technical master renowned for his focus on realism and startling veracity. Everything he painted was treated as a portrait, from Spanish royalty and Pope Innocent X to a mortar and pestle. In this comprehensive introduction to Velázquez’s life and art by Richard Verdi, the artist’s major works are discussed along with most of his surviving output of approximately 110 paintings. Velázquez’s greatest innovation, his unorthodox and revolutionary technique, is explored in relation to his most-celebrated contemporaries both in Spain and beyond, including Titian and Peter Paul Rubens. Velázquez concludes with a final chapter on the influence and importance of Velázquez’s art on later painters from the time of his death to the art of recent times, including Francisco Goya, Pablo Picasso, Francis Bacon, and the Impressionists.  209 color illustrations

Genres: Art

280 pages, Paperback

Published March 7, 2023

Reviews

[Angela Koon · Rating 5 out of 5]

A good introductory book of the great master, very easy to read and not overly detailed but it gives you a good grasp of understanding of the life of Velazquez.

[Stamen Parushev · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very well is described the life and the work of Velasquez. Attention is paid to his stylistic innovations and their consequences in the art history.