For the first time British art-lovers have the unique chance to discover the works produced by one of the most important painters in art history, Diego Rodriquez de Silva y Velasquez (1599 - 1660) in a vast exhibition organised between 18 October 2006 - 21 January 2007 at the National Gallery in London.
Starting with the first years of his artistic career, Velasquez made himslef known as a talented and inteligent artist, who knew how to chose interesting subjects and also how to paint them. In the exhibition with the title "Velasquez" the audience will have the chance to discover the life of Velaquez as an artist, from the time he moved to Madrid to when he became painter of the court for King Phillip IV, to the two trips he made to Italy, which changed his style and manner of work, till the last years of his life, when he was made a knight. His greatest talent was the ability to observe and put on the canvas or paper the realities around him, with suprising carefulness. Velasquez managed to create images of a surprising naturalism for his time, catching not only the phisical characteristics, but also the psychological dimension, with strong and elegant brushes. His style would later influence the Realist and especially Impressionist painters.
The paintings assembled at the National Gallery are from the museum's collectionar, and loans from Museo del Prado or other collections. In the end, the organisers have managed to put together nearly one half of the surviving Velasquez works.
November 2006
