La Meninas: Blurring the Lines of Reality Through Art

Hi friends
Let's take the time out to highlight something beautiful and mysterious.
Many of you will already be familiar with Diego Velázquez’s masterpiece Las Meninas, but I recently found a fun theory regarding a small detail of the work which may have previously gone unnoticed and which adds another element of mystery to the already fascinating and faceted work which disrupts our usual doors of perception.
For anyone unfamiliar with the work (as I was until fairly recently; don’t think this was covered in any of the basic art history courses I’ve taken or any of my own amateur research, here’s a couple of poor quality images of it, but I’d highly recommend following this link for a clear close up of the painting and a very interesting commentary regarding the little clay pot being offered the princess. www.bbc.com...



Part of the draw of this beautiful life-sized painting (aside from the obvious skill and detail of the portrayal of King Philip IV of Spain’s court and daughter) is the disorientation the viewer feels regarding perspective and the break of the fourth wall.
In the painting we see the artist himself, standing in front of a canvas which the viewer cannot see (is the painting Las Meninas itself? So meta ). His gaze, as well as that of the central figure: King Philip’s little daughter, one of her ladies in waiting, a male dwarf dressed as a woman, the chamberlain from an open door in the background, and the ethereal figures of the King and Queen themselves reflected back from a mirror (it’s also been posited the mirror is showing a reflection of Velázquez’s canvas or that it’s a framed painting rather than a mirror) are directly confronting the viewer. These details disorient the viewer and blur the lines between art and viewer (breaking the fourth wall).
To make the discussion even more interesting, one might imagine that, since the painting was created for the King and Queen, they are also the intended viewers. Imagine seeing this painting for the first time as the King and Queen-- your subjects and even your own image staring back out at you. I’m sure it was quite the trip.

Please check out the above article for more interesting theories about this gorgeous work of art. For more information on the fourth wall, there’s some links below.


www.artstor.org...

What do you know or think about this amazing work of art? I always love reminders of the beauty and achievements of fellow man; particularly when the worst of humanity is under such a spotlight all the time.
Have a lovely Saturday.

I feel blessed to be able to blur the lines in the film industry. I love classical painting!!

Even though many ATS members hate Hollywood and media in general; it doesn't take away from the pride I feel in working on film and TV. Even though the money is great, I would do it for nothing, just the pleasure of working with an outstanding creative community is enough.

a reply to: olaru12

I've thought about how to incorporate it into writing! The fourth wall is such an interesting idea! (also just the voyeurism question it brings up)

Great painting, right?
Hope you're doing well, olaru

originally posted by: zosimov
a reply to: olaru12

I've thought about how to incorporate it into writing! The fourth wall is such an interesting idea! (also just the voyeurism question it brings up)

Great painting, right?
Hope you're doing well, olaru

Doing well, TY!!

If you ever want to try your hand at a short film script, 7 or 10 pages for a festival short. I'll produce it. If possible.

www.celtx.com...

a reply to: olaru12

That's an awesome and inspiring idea. Thank you for the suggestion/offer! I'd love to try to write something, if anything for fun and experience alone.

Very glad to hear you're doing well! I'll be in touch if I write anything I think might be worth sharing

The little wretch/girl on the right has a face only a mother could love, must’ve been painted from life with real inbred royalty. Perhaps the artist didn’t like them and wanted to play some games 🤔

I didn’t know about this painting so that I you for sharing this. You have quite the write up so I’m going to have to do that reading thingie.

a reply to: Brotherman

Thanks for checking out and the commentary! Let me know if anything stands out or is of special interest to you from the articles; I found them to be pretty fascinating myself.

a reply to: zosimov

I certainly will, I’m rather interested in art in its various forms. I actually have quite a few volumes of all kinds of museum prints of paintings I’m wondering if I have a book with this piece in it somewhere as well.

I’d rather read about this then Russia and rather make comments about mutant royal children then pick on Biden 🤪 so again thanks for bringing this up

originally posted by: Brotherman
a reply to: zosimov

I’d rather read about this then Russia and rather make comments about mutant royal children then pick on Biden 🤪 so again thanks for bringing this up

Haha ditto. Thanks to you and the mutant royal comment as well. A bit of levity right now is a breath of fresh air.

I love how we become either the king or the queen while watching this painting.

Obviously, they were the subject of the painting; Velasquez is studying them, we see their reflection in the mirror facing them and pretty much every character is looking back at them (you, the observed observer).

Yet, the princess daughter IS the center of this piece, and it is her that we see first. She is the one receiving most of the light.

Wonderful painting on so many levels.

Thank you for making me discover this piece and painter.

a reply to: zosimov

I'll be reading this tonight. Thank you

originally posted by: olaru12

originally posted by: zosimov
a reply to: olaru12

I've thought about how to incorporate it into writing! The fourth wall is such an interesting idea! (also just the voyeurism question it brings up)

Great painting, right?
Hope you're doing well, olaru

www.celtx.com...

This is a great site. Thanks! I've signed up and started a project Exciting.

a reply to: coamanach
I like your commentary here
In all likelihood, the king and queen as subjects of that painting would have their attention focused on their daughter; which adds another delightful layer; considering she's the focal point of the painting also.

a reply to: BelleEpoque

Enjoy!!

a reply to: coamanach

Strange, the first character that caught my eye was the fattie in the back door and at first I thought it was a servant in the reflection of the mirror. This person is dressed as a king though and still a fatty and that doesn’t solve the mystery of the mutant inbred child to the right, wtf is up with that?

a reply to: zosimov
The way he makes the eye catch the scene and then notice the 4th wall break is so spooky. Because it's a bit like something in the corner of the eye and then the sharp contrast between him and the background plus the stare makes it so "penetrating look".

I love it! It's a bit surreal because of the double 4th wall break too. I don't know why but in the first impressions I picked up the big canvas as a sort of backdrop / wall set often used in theater to make the rooms walls on 3 sides. And the viewer is the 4th wall. So my brain may have picked up these 4th wall breaks and then interpret the canvas as a wall because it made most sense. At first I thought the artist in the background paints the picture and the viewer is a mirror.

So many possibilities, it's seldom a piece of art makes my head churn so fast. What baffles me to most is the look on the princess face and the woman left to her, her look too. It made me think about what children miss if there is zero "hardship" in their life. As in, always get everything they want.

originally posted by: olaru12
I feel blessed to be able to blur the lines in the film industry. I love classical painting!!

Even though many ATS members hate Hollywood and media in general; it doesn't take away from the pride I feel in working on film and TV. Even though the money is great, I would do it for nothing, just the pleasure of working with an outstanding creative community is enough.

It seems IATSE is full of creative people. I am off to a 3 day Hamilton load in. I am excited....when these tours stop by, I ALWAYS learn something new.

When my divorce is final, I am gonna travel for a minute...can you get me a peak at a set?

It is hard to understand where the painter is coming from especially since the disturbing figure in the front corner is so prominent to the painting.  Was Velázquez still painting for the court or was he an independent artist at that time.  If it was for the court I thought maybe the King wanted to show case a modern style like the portrait of Obama by Kehinde Wiley did but goes deeper than that.  I really enjoyed learning about the Door of Perceptive as it applies to us and in the painting.  I was not aware of it and it changes my perspective.

Kelly Grovier, the author of the bbc article has some wonderful phrases like, "chamberlain is endlessly exiting", and "a dizzying retinal riddle of a painting".  The last 3 paragraphs of her article emphasizes the mysteriousness, the feeling of a hallucination of the painting.  

From that definitive point, I wonder if Las Meninas was painted for the court or as his independent statement.  It's a given that European artists had a message in their paintings as the Dutch did.  From my point of view I find this painting dark including because of the undeniable prominence of the unsightly figure in the front right.  The red from Velázquez cross, palette thru to the girls (with red as a balance in the image on the wall) could be his way of moving the eye thru the painting but what is the point of it leading to the dominating large figure.
My point of view of royals is they are up to no good, so I assume there could be a message of darkness in painting.  I apologize if I am too negative.  The red in front appears like the flow of blood to the unexplained disturbing figure in front with blood stains on the King and Queen.  

The bbc article explains the vial given to the daughter of the King  is made from herbs with"physiological and psychotropic effects".  So if he was painting for the court, perhaps the painting is also conveying the Doors of Perception into the unworldly as they say the elite dapple in.  If he's was painting for himself he was revealing the dark world of the Royals.

It's a very heady painting.  

I loved reading all the interesting interpretations everyone came up with! Thank you for the comments and discussion!

As for the bizarre figure which is so predominant in the foreground, I've read the King had an interest in dwarves and kept them around the court. Both the figures in the right foreground are male dwarves from Phillip's court according to what I've read.

Though I like the teenage mutant inbred royal idea a lot

originally posted by: zosimov
I loved reading all the interesting interpretations everyone came up with! Thank you for the comments and discussion!

As for the bizarre figure which is so predominant in the foreground, I've read the King had an interest in dwarves and kept them around the court. Both the figures in the right foreground are male dwarves from Phillip's court according to what I've read.

Though I like the teenage mutant inbred royal idea a lot

It reminds me of a Kardashian family photo.