In the first blog of this period we reviewed the painting by Velázquez. In times of the Avant Gardes, different artists try them out by reproducing paintings of the ancient masters of art in his very own interpretation: In his lasts years, Picasso was worried about having a place in art history, thus he created many paintings in which he compared himself with the Great Masters of the Past. He chose some great famous paintings and made them again with his very particular and distinctive style. Between these, there is a serial of 44 variations about “The Meninas” of Diego Velásquez (1656), the most admired painting of this Baroque artista and of all Spanish painters. In the first blog of this period we have analyzed the meaning of the images of this painting. Picasso respected the core elements of the composition, but modifying some details. For example, the big hound of the original painting was replaced by a tiny little dog. The figure that appears in the sill was replaced by a black silhouette, smaller and more enigmatic than the original one. Two huge hands grew towards the little princess, so much bigger tan the maid honor´s hands that appeared on Velazquez´s painting. The little princess has been reduced to a small geometric forms, with a small circle like a head. Picasso's compatriot, Salvador Dalí,was similarly driven to absorb the picture on various levels. Unlike other Surrealists who disdained the Old Masters, Dalí believed there was much to learn from the works of his predecessors. In one homage, Portrait of Juan de Pareja, shown to the left here, he depicts the court official from Las Meninas standing at the doorway. Elusive is the profile of de Pareja in the centre of the painting, his moustache and beard forming from the grouping of the Spanish Infanta and her attendants. In other homages, Dalí shows off the colour palette that he attributed to Velázquez, as for instance, this pseudo-holographic vision of the Infanta from 1958. Here he distorts the proportions of the composition to make her bigger and, unlike Picasso, makes the figure of the artist smaller and depicts him from behind at work on a canvas that in its turn represents the Infanta.
Answer the following:
Answer the following:
- Which are the differences between the four art pieces?
- Which are the similar form and elements that appear in all four?
- Which was the message that Velazquez wanted to send when he created the Meninas?
- Which was Picasso´s?
- And Dali´s?
- And Witkin´s?