Ways of Seeing

For this lecture we were shown a famous painting called Las Meninas by Diego Velázquez, the painting is known for unusual composition and 3 focal points, as well as it being a self portrait of the artist himself or of the Infanta Margaret Theresa.

The mirror just left of the centre that reflects King Phillip IV and Mariana of Austria also adds to the confusion as it looks like they are standing in the viewers position with all the figures of the painting looking towards them including the painter, but the painter is painting the image we see now and not a portrait of the king. As time passed it became a mystery and has gained much attention for it, many artists/painters have try to replicate it and imitate it such as Picasso, who himself attempted to capture the same mystery 58 times.

Whilst you can see the Las Meninas influence upon the composition is obvious, Picasso incorporates his unique and indentifiable style to it which I think adds another perspectative as the piece seems so different but its not. I really like the colours and tone in the blue piece.