Description of the painting by Diego Velázquez “Venus with a mirror”
During the life of the artist Diego Velázquez, the Spanish Inquisition had a great influence not only on the lives and customs of people, but also on their work. In those days, images of naked bodies were strictly forbidden.
The artist who painted the portrait of a naked man could be sent into exile, deprived of church patronage, and his picture burned or repainted. Like many other creative people, Velasquez did not adhere to the strict framework established by the authorities, and created his one-of-a-kind creation “Venus in front of a mirror”.
In ancient mythology, the goddess Venus personified the symbol of love, as well as the sublime and beautiful beauty of a woman. On this canvas, it is depicted reclining on thin flowing bedspreads. She turned her back to the audience, her knees half bent. In ancient times, Venus is often depicted in this perspective. The artist focused on looking at the beauty of the female
The second character of the picture is Cupid, the son of a goddess. Instead of a bow and arrow, with which, as usual, he is portrayed, the child maintains a mirror turned to his mother. In the reflection you can see the fuzzy facial features of Wiener, meet his eyes with her eyes. Velazquez purposely portrays her reflection wrong, larger than it should be.
The folds on the sheets follow the contours of the figure of the Roman goddess. Thus, the artist emphasizes its softness and pomp of forms. The basic colors of the background composition are quite simple – it is white, red and gray, but the critics liked this gamma.
Velazquez, constrained by church dogma, could not put his picture on public display. Therefore, for a long time, it was seen only in narrow circles. Only in the 19th century it was transported to England, and to this day it is stored in the National Gallery of London.
Related posts:
- Description of the painting by Francois Boucher “Toilet of Venus”The painting depicts Venus – the goddess of love. She is completely naked, covers only part of her body sheets. She looks like a doll made of porcelain – the same large and doll eyes, almost unnaturally white skin, a mischievous look in the direction of one of the Cupids playing with her beads next […]...
- Description of the painting by Titian Vechelio “Venus in front of a mirror”Semi-nude Venus looks in the mirror. She is young and beautiful, her cheeks are rosy, and her skin is as white as milk. She admires herself, assesses herself, covering her chest with her hand and smiling faintly. Her legs are covered with a scarlet cape with a fur edge, there are bracelets on her hands, […]...
- Description of the painting by Diego Velázquez “The Forge of the Volcano”The painting was painted in 1630. The whole plot, taken from the mythology of ancient Greece, is interpreted by the painter in a very original way, considerably complicated. In the picture, Velázquez depicts the moment when Apollo tells Vulcan, the god of fire, that the goddess Venus is unfaithful to him. No touchdown in the […]...
- Description of the painting by Jean-Auguste Ingres “Venus of Anadimeon”The painting “Venus of Anadimeon” was painted by the famous French artist Jean-Auguste Ingrom in 1848. Writing a canvas, just 1.63 meters high and 92 centimeters wide, took nearly 40 years. In 1808, the artist began working on a painting, wrote half of it, and for four decades he did not dare to take up […]...
- Description of the painting by Peter Rubens painting “Toilet of Venus”Peter Paul Rubens lived and worked in the Renaissance and Baroque. The main feature of this era was the popularization of art of the ancient world. That is why in this picture we see the image of the Roman goddess of love and beauty – Venus. The central image of work is, of course, Venus […]...
- Description of the painting by Titian “Venus and Adonis”The plot of this canvas is a dramatic story of two lovers Venus and Adonis. The artist Vecellio Titian created a painting commissioned by the Spanish king. Philip II appreciated the beauty of the naked female body, so the painting “Venus and Adonis” became a wonderful wedding gift for the ruler. The main characters of […]...
- Description of the painting by Peter Rubens “Venus and Adonis”Venus and Adonis goes back to Ovid’s Metamorphoses, which tell the story of the first mortal who became Venus’s lover. Adonis was a young hunter, and Venus, when she was with him, often warned him about how dangerous this could be for him. But the young man did not listen to the warnings of the […]...
- Description of the sculpture by Venus de MiloIn the history of art there are not so many sculptures that instantly gained popularity. The widely revered statue of Venus de Milo is one of them. Venus in ancient Roman mythology was originally the goddess of spring and flowering; belonged to the ancient Italian gods. Later, Venus became revered as the goddess of love […]...
- Description of the painting by Sandro Botticelli “The Birth of Venus”This picture is in the Uffizi Gallery, in Florence. The painting was painted around 1484 in oil on canvas. The famous painting of the painter from Florence Sandro Botticelli “The Birth of Venus” is a masterpiece of the Renaissance. An open space, the sea and the sky appear before the audience, the artist depicted the […]...
- Description of the painting by Giorgione “Sleeping Venus”This painting was created by the Venetian artist Giorgione, who is known throughout the world. Shortly after the start of work on the Sleeping Venus, the artist left this light. And it turned out that the picture remained unfinished. It is known that Giorgione independently managed to write Venus. But the authorship of the rock, […]...
- Description of the painting by William Bouguereau “The Birth of Venus”1879; canvas, oil; 300 × 218; Orsay Museum. William Bougreau chose the famous myth about the appearance of the goddess of love and beauty, Venus, which, according to legend, originated from the coast of Cyprus from the sea foam as a plot for his picture. The composition of the scene is quite similar to the […]...
- Description of the painting by Sandro Botticelli “Venus and Mars”“Venus and Mars” is a painting by Florentine artist Sandro Botticelli, written in 1483, the main theme of which is called the victory of Love. The plot of the picture is as follows: on a meadow or clearing in front of a quiet grove of myrtle, two gods lay in calm poses opposite each other: […]...
- Description of the painting by Diego Velázquez “MeninThe painting is a famous work of the artist Diego Velázquez. Some will recognize this reproduction under the name “The Family of Philip IV.” At the moment, “Menin” can be seen in the Prado Museum, which is located in Madrid. The painting depicts a studio owned by Velasquez. It was located in the palace of […]...
- Description of the painting by Diego Velazquez “Waterman”The painting “Water Carrier” was painted in 1622 by the unusually gifted and educated Spanish artist Velasquez. She also has another name – “The seller of water from Seville”. With this picture the artist added to his cycle of works of bodegones (translated from Spanish as a tavern). A number of paintings are included in […]...
- Description of the painting by Diego Velázquez “Straight”The picture “Prya” was written by Velasquez in 1657. She reflected all his skills in working with various technicians and creating complex textures of materials. The “spikes” of the two-planned multi-figure composition directly reflects Velasquez’s love for receiving “the picture in the picture”. The complex picture has an extensive color palette, saturated with many different […]...
- Description of the painting by Diego Velázquez “Philip IV”This is one of the many portraits of King Philip IV, painted by Diego Velasquez. This picture was created by the artist after returning from Italy, where he studied the canvases of famous painters. By the time of writing the picture Velasquez for several years worked as a court artist. Philip IV was an admirer […]...
- Description of the painting by Diego Velázquez “Self-portrait”The artist King Philip IV created a whole gallery of persons of the 17th century: kings, princesses and priests. Diego Velázquez was called the mirror of life. The right to depict the king and his family belonged only to Velasquez. The popularity of the painter has reached what many considered necessary to have a portrait […]...
- Description of the painting by Diego Velázquez “Breakfast”Diego Velázquez is one of the most beloved artists of the world, and besides, he was one of those for the king, whom he served faithfully until his death. Drawing portraits of courtiers, exterior gloss and the setting of huge palaces, the artist never forgot about the simple people who could never afford such luxury. […]...
- Description of the painting by Diego Velázquez “Old cook”Velazquez depicts a cook who cooks scrambled eggs. In her hands is an egg and a spoon. Nearby is a servant. In one of his hands – a carafe of wine, and in the other – a melon. But these subjects can not say anything about the essence of these heroes. We feel that they […]...
- Description of the painting by Diego Velázquez “The Crowning of Mary”The canvas was created by the artist in 1645. By this time, Velázquez was already quite famous. He could paint in different styles: genre painting, religion, history, myths. Velazquez had a special handwriting, which was inherent only in his hand. The painting depicts the coronation of the Virgin Mary Holy Trinity. A great event takes […]...
- Description of the painting by Diego Velázquez “Papa Innocent”In the middle of his creative period, Velázquez visits the capital of Italy to buy local statues and paintings, as well as take pictures for further work in his native country. It was then that he accidentally saw Pope Innocent X. As a professional artist in his picture, Velázquez could depict everything: the red walls […]...
- Description of the painting by Diego Velázquez “Surrender of Breda”The famous painting of the legendary Spanish artist of the XVII century, Diego Velázquez, entitled “The Delivery of Breda”, was written by him in 1635 based on real historical events that took place in Europe during his life. The painting itself was intended for the so-called Great Hall of the new palace of King Philip […]...
- Description of the painting by Diego Velázquez “The head of a deer”The picture was painted in 1634 in oil on canvas. Cloth refers to the artistic style of the Baroque in the genre of animalism. Diego Velázquez is a 17th century Spanish artist. He was born into a noble family. Since childhood, showed great interest in painting, and his father decided to give his son to […]...
- Description of the painting by the Adoration of the Magi by Diego VelázquezHow many painters wrote their canvases on this topic! How many canvases are exhibited in various world museums under this name. But this canvas Velasquez simply impresses with its calmness and chastity. The most interesting thing you still understand is that they depicted this topic, completely unaware of the true events and details. I lead […]...
- Description of the painting by Diego Velázquez “Portrait of Count Olivares”Velasquez’s circle of interests was surprisingly broad: genre scenes, historical and religious themes, mythological subjects. All styles of painting the artist tried, until he stopped at the portraits. In the early manner of writing, the influence of Caravaggio is clearly visible. However, the artist quickly crystallized his own style, well recognized by connoisseurs. But there […]...
- Description of the sculpture by Theodosius Fedorovich Shchedrin “Venus”Venus is the goddess of beauty and youth. Theodosius Shchedrin created this sculpture, intending to convey his idea of female beauty. The woman, presented in the form of a sculpture, amazes the viewer with the smoothness and accuracy of her forms. The construction of her figure is characterized by softness and waviness, and the pose […]...
- Description of the painting by Diego Velázquez “Christ in the House of Martha and Mary”Diego Velázquez was a big fan of biblical subjects, but he depicted them, like his other paintings in his own way, in his own manner of writing. The painting “Christ in the House of Martha and Mary” was created after long months of painstaking work in 1618 and was Vellazquez’s own interpretation of one of […]...
- Description of the painting by Diego Velázquez “Portrait of Infanta Margarita, daughter of Philip IV”The work of the legendary Spanish artist of the XVII century, Diego Velázquez, which was written in 1655, occupies a key place in his work and belongs to the portrait genre, which was especially popular in the European art world in the times of Velázquez. Velázquez himself, being the court painter of the King of […]...
- Description of the painting by Peter Rubens “Holiday of Venus”This is where Rubens revealed in all its glory!!! Here is where you can carefully see his firm “Rubens” style of the image of the female body. In almost all of his paintings, women are somehow overweight, slightly plump. But this concerns not only the female body, but all the rest. See what kind of […]...
- Description of the painting by Paolo Veronese “Mars and Venus”Paolo Veronese – a bright representative of the Venetian school of painting. There were many famous artists. Paolo Veronese clearly stood out among them. He created many paintings on mythological themes. The bright, expressive, extraordinarily beautiful canvas “Mars and Venus” is a masterpiece recognized throughout the world. The picture is also different in that it […]...
- Description of the painting by Alexander Cabanel “The Birth of Venus”The erotic work of the artist Cabanel is currently located in Paris, in the Orsay Museum. The author of “The Birth of Venus” was one of the most popular favorites of the public, he was adored by the rulers. And the reason for this love of the people and the rulers was simple – he […]...
- Description of the painting by Diego Rodriguez de Silva Velázquez “Mars, God of War”The painting was painted by the famous Spanish painter in oil on canvas in 1640. The peculiarity of this painting is that it, in combination with some other works by the artist, was written for King Philip IV, at whose court he served as a painter by the author. This portrait was supposed to decorate […]...
- Description of the painting by Mikhail Larionov “Venus”Mikhail Larionov painted the picture “Venus” in 1912. At that time, he was interested in manifestations of folk art, children’s drawings and art objects of ancient cultures. Therefore, archaic, simplified, even infantile stylistic resources are easily guessed in the outlines of the lying nude. There are several colors in the image: bright yellow, white, details […]...
- Description of the painting by Rembrandt Harmens van Rijn “Venus and Cupid”Believe it or not, this canvas is not written entirely by Rembrandt. The thing is, he just started this painting, and then suggested to his students to finish it. And if not strange students did not remember, but the teachers perpetuated again. But perhaps we can say that Rembrandt was the most chaste of all […]...
- Description of the painting by Peter Rubens “Venus and Mars”Peter Paul Rubens – author of the painting “Venus and Mars”, size 133×142. Venus is known as the goddess of love, in Roman mythology. Mars is known as the husband of Venus. Rubens became one of the founders of the new style of art – baroque. Bright images, fluffy and overweight figures in motion. The […]...
- Description of the painting by Lucas Cranach “Venus”Lucas Cranach Sr. portrayed Venus, based on the ideal of feminine beauty, which was popular in the Renaissance. A thin, even anemic figure, light skin pale to blue, large bulging eyes, some kind of emaciated angularity in the figure, high forehead, thin arms and legs, long thin fingers – these parts of the body tried […]...
- Description of the painting by Titian Vecellio “Feast of Venus”Mythological and biblical scenes occupied a significant place in the artist’s work. However, a deep insight into the questions of psychology made it possible to create surprisingly lively, realistic images. The Feast of Venus is one of three paintings that were conceived as a cycle, commissioned by the Duke Alfonso d’Este. The canvases were intended […]...
- Description of the painting by Francois Boucher “The Triumph of Venus”“The Triumph of Venus” – undoubtedly an ode to life. It is the pleasure of its fullness, exciting sensuality, versatility and supportive attitude. A true connoisseur of feminine beauty, Francois Boucher, like no one else, could capture the intoxicating scenes with beautiful Venus in the center. Born out of sea foam, she rests on the […]...
- Description of the painting by Jacopo Tintoretto “Venus, Vulcan and Mars”One of the first works of the painter Jacopo Tintoretto is his “Venus, Vulcan and Mars”. The painting is depicted in oil on canvas, in 1550. The size of the canvas is 135×198 cm. In it we clearly trace how Titian strongly influenced Tintoretto. The plot of the canvas tells us about the classic story […]...
- Description of the painting by Titian “Venus tying the eyes of Cupid”In one of his latest periods of creativity, the artist Titian, who lived from about 1488 to 1576, was literally obsessed. His main obsession was the desire to create paintings that would be full of drama. And the best of all for this purpose were suitable, in the opinion of the artist himself, Christian plots. […]...