A master at work

This famous painting by Diego Velasquez rests in the Prado in Spain. A little 2D image does not do it justice. It stands 10.5 feet high and is over 9 feet wide. One of my life goals to make the journey to Madrid to see it.

This link to the painting allows you to click on a thumbnail image and open an image viewer to get a closer look. I encourage you to check it out.

Let me briefly cover what I know of the painting as I tell you why it makes me happy.

The guy with the paint brush on the left is Velasquez. He is painting the King and Queen of Spain (who are standing next to us apparently) who you can see in the mirror on the back wall. The little princess, or Infanta, Margarita is the blonde kindergartener in the middle. The girls surrounding her are the Infanta's maidens, who lend their roles to the painting's title, Las Meninas. The royal dog quietly lounges in front of a dwarf lady, who might have been brought in to distract the princess, much like the apple being offered to her.

I think the little girl is supposed to be with her parents, sitting for the painting. Too bad we can't hear a recording of the effort. The begging and pleading to get the stubborn child to move, her refusals, the dog reacting to the kick he's receiving, maybe a stern word from the king or an idle threat from the mother about a punishment that the nurse will carry out.

And through it all, at the top of his game, is Diego V., brush in hand, observing color, proportion, the lighting and the expressions he wishes to capture. Perhaps he is making quick marks on the massive canvas, preparing what he can that would be above the little princess' height. Patient, because he has already painted Margarita so many times that he might consider placing her in the painting from memory. He knows her, this family, royal though they may be, and this environment. He can safely ignore the turmoil. This is why he works for the royal court.

Despite all the political and democratic views this painting is putting on display for us, how can we ignore the simple truth it shows of being completely engrossed in the task at hand?

I think that maybe we're happiest when we aren't thinking about whether or not we're happy.

What do you think about that statement? What about this painting? Let me know which paintings you enjoy.