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3 [Background info] [K-6: Looking] [K-6: Making] [7-12]
Les Meñinas after Velásquez 18 September 1957
oil on canvas 129 x 161 (cat. 20)
Museu Picasso, Barcelona
© Succession Picasso, Paris, Viscopy Ltd, Sydney, 2002
SUPPLEMENTARY IMAGE:
Las Meñinas or The Family of Philip IV c.1656 (oil on canvas)
by Diego Rodriguez de Silva y Velásquez (1599-1660)
Prado, Madrid, Spain / Bridgeman Art Library
After 1954, with the Femmes d'Alger, Picasso produced several important series of variations upon motifs by the Old Masters. These were regarded with great suspicion by Picasso's contemporaries who thought he was resorting to pillaging other artists' work because his own inspirations had dried up. The history of modern art is habitually presented in terms of rejection of the past in favour of new subjects and new ways of making art. The very idea of an 'avant-garde' was the invention of radical young artists for whom the past was, apparently, irrelevant.
The truth however is more complex. Artists as various as Magritte, Mondrian and Pollock all looked hard at earlier art in developing their known distinctive approaches. The art of the past is as much a factor in fashioning the forms of new art as society, technology and temperament. But how does the past work in the imagination? How is it re-made? Can it be separated from the present position in which we find ourselves? In this painting we are compelled to take note of the transformation of an image from the past into a modern re-interpretation.
Surprisingly for such a revolutionary artist, Picasso was a traditionalist, believing that artistic tradition was sustained by admiration and by emulation. 'What is a painter basically?' he once asked. 'He's a collector who wants to establish a collection of his own, making the pictures himself that he likes by other people. That's how I begin, and then it turns into something else.' His admiring impulses did turn into something else: they turned into Picassos.
Picasso considered himself a realist and his choice of the paintings by his precursors emphasised his notions of the realist tradition that he had espoused. He aligned himself with Delacroix, Velásquez, Manet, Cézanne, Courbet, amongst others.
Velásquez's Las Meñinas painting is itself a labyrinth of pictures within a picture, as well as being an amazingly convincing mirror of reality. For Picasso realism doesn't mean the faithful reproduction of natural experiences, it means transforming one's impressions into signs; thus every facet is re-interpreted for his own purposes. Velásquez creates a seamless illusion whereas in Picasso's case the image has been taken apart and put together bit by bit. The spaces between figures are just as visually significant as the figures themselves.
Another key element that Picasso explores is the self-reflexive space in Las Meñinas of the painter painting.On the left you see the artist supposedly painting his own picture. In his late period Picasso over and over again makes paintings whose true subject is painting itself.
K-6
LOOKING IDEAS
Look at this painting by Picasso for one minute, taking in all the details, then put it aside. Recall everything that you remember seeing. Look again and find details that were missed.
Imagine being the girl in the middle of the painting. Describe how she might feel. Locate the other people or faces in this picture and find the dog. Can any of these figures move?
Imagine being the red figure on the right-hand side of the painting. Follow a trail of lines from this figure to connect him with someone else. Describe the journey.
Visualize this painting as a puzzle. How did the artist put it together? Where did the artist start and finish? What would happen if one of the pieces went missing?
Find the following puzzle pieces:
- a red triangle
- a blue arrow
- 2 square faces
- a hand in a green diamond
- some semi-circular shapes.
Focus on the colours in this painting. List all the different colours that have been used. What makes them look so bright?
Picasso based this painting on one he had seen by another famous Spanish artist named Velásquez. It was called Las Meñinas, meaning the Maids of Honour.
Look at the image of Las Meñinas and compare it with Picasso's painting.
Find things that are similar to both.
MAKING IDEAS
Copy the girl in the middle of this painting on a fresh sheet of white paper. Create another scene around her.
Find a copy or picture of a famous picture that you admire. Create your own version of this work on card, photocopy it and then cut it up into a puzzle. Put your painted puzzle into a brown paper bag with the photocopy stuck on the outside. Enjoy swapping painting puzzles amongst the class.
Make a colourful painting or chalk drawing on a black background.
LINKS TO KEY LEARNING AREAS
- HSIE: Significant Events and People, Identities, Time and Change
- Mathematics: Counting, Shape, Pattern, Repetition
- Science and Technology: Designing and Making
7-12
FRAMING QUESTIONS
Frames: Structural / Postmodern
Look closely at Les Meñinas after Velásquez by Picasso and list what you can see. Describe the space of this painting. What does it resemble? A couple of ways of thinking about this image is as a puzzle or a cupboard full of secrets. Who or what inhabits this space? Count the number of people hiding inside.
What is your response to this space? Is it open or claustrophobic? What are the dominant art elements? How has the artist used them to create spatial qualities? Discuss how this effects the way the figures are represented.
Examine both Picasso's image and Velásquez's. Picasso's painting is an interpretation of Velásquez's work. Why do artists look to other artists' work for inspiration? Research why Velásquez's work inspired Picasso. Reflect on the similarities and differences of the two artworks.
Velasquez's Las Meñinas is a painting about the act of painting. Discuss what this could mean. Explore why this interested Picasso in his art practice. Consider the subject matter of Picasso's painting. Is it simply a stylization of Velásquez's painting or a symbolic interpretation.
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