Page:The New International Encyclopædia 1st ed. v. 20.djvu/68

* VELAZQUEZ. tizo Juan de Pareja (Earl of Carlisle), a prepar- atory exercise for his portrait of Pope Inno- cent" X. (Pamtili Gallery, Rome, and Apsley House). So idealistic a judge as BurcUhardt has termed the latter "the greatest portrait of the seventeenth century." It seems molded by a broad and masterly brush rather tlian painted, and it foreshadowed the third style, which he had been gradually evolving, characterized by maxi- mum effect with minimum effort, perfection of naturalism, and light effects to the point of optical illusion. Soon after his return to Spain, in .Tunc. 10")!. Velazquez was appointed aposentador mnyor (marshal of the palace), with a yearly salary of 3000 ducats and quarters in the Alcazar. The po- sition involved the grave responsibiUty of looking after the quarters of the royal family at home and on its numerous journeys. He had long ad- ministered the royal galleries, which owed their chief attractiveness to him. and of these he wrote a sort of description (published in the Memorias of the Spani.sh Academy, August, 1872, and by Daviliers. Paris, 1874)." In 1659 he received the cross of Santiago, the highest honor attainable by a Spanish nobleman. As aposentador he ar- ranged the Spanish part of the gorgeous festivi- ties on the occasion of the marriage by proxy of Philip's sister to young Louis XIV. of France, on the Isle of Pheasants in the Kiver Bidassoa. But the exertions and responsibili- ties resulted in a fever, of which he died after his return to Madrid, August 6, 1660. He was noble and courteous in manner, kind and gen- erous in disposition, and loved by all. He was always ready to befriend other artists ; Alonzo Cano and JIurillo owed nuich to his kindness and advice. His principal pupils were his son- in-law JIazo, his slave Pareja. by whom many of the works assigned to him were executed, and C'arefio de ^Miranda. Among the many portraits of Velazquez's last period are those of Marianna of Austria ( Prado and Vienna), Philip's last queen, in the absurd Court costume of the day; the little Infanta Margarita (Louvre and Vienna) : and Philip IV. in his old age (Prado. National Gallery, etc.). The so-called "Las Meninas" (Prado) represents Margarita and her maids of honor being painted by Velazquez. He also appears in the so-called "Family of Velazquez." a group of nine per- sons; but of his authentic later portraits of him- self the best known are in the UHizi. "Las Hi- landeras" (the Spinners. I'rado) represents a scene in the royal tapestrj' manufactory. The treatment of light and color in this painting is so consunmiate that, according to the painter Ea- pliael Mengs, "it was not painted by the hand, but liy pure force of the will." To this period also belong the portraits of the Court fools, dwarfs, imbeciles, etc. (Prado). in which the jiainlcr has achieved an apotheosis of the ugly. Such are the jesters, known as "Barliarossa." "Don .Tuan de Austria," and "Pabilillos de Val- ladolid;" the dwarfs, Sebastian de Morra and "F.l Primo;" the idiots, "Fl Boho de Coria" and "El Xiiio de Vallegas." Perhaps in the same category belong two wits, whom the artist has dubbed ".Esop" and "Menippus" — wonilcrful examples of the broad treatment. Velazquez also attempted mythological subjects, among which were a rather unsuccessful "Mars" 44 VELDE. (Prado) and "Jlercury and Argus," quite im- .aginative in character. "Venus with a Mirror" (Kokeby Park, Yorkshire) is a nude Andalusian dancing maiden, with nothing of the Gi'eek god- dess about her. Near the close of his life he painted two fine religious pieces (Prado) : the "Coronation of the Virgin," in which, of all his works, the Italian intluence is most predominant, and the "Anchorites," representing two gray- beards. Saints Anthony and Paul the Hermit, in a desolate landscape of sublime grandeur. When the portrait of Juan Pareja was ex- hibited in the Pantheon at Rome, it was the opinion of painters of all nationalities that "all else seemed painting, this alone truth." The work of Velazquez could not be better character- ized, for it was perhaps the most perfect natural- ism the world has ever seen. He made no im- aginative effort, nor did he ever attempt to render a mental image, but painted simply what he saw. He is the most objective of painters; the subject itself tells the whole story. This wonderful naturalism was achieved by his consummate knowledge of light and shade, and the play of the aerial effect. In the purely technical quali- ties of painting he has never been surpassed, if, indeed, he has ever been equaled. His draughts- manship was firm, his modeling delicate, and he possessed a good knowledge of form. His sad color scheme enabled him to use occasional patches of bright color with all the more effect, and no man has ever rendered values more exact- l.y. His brush was light and sure, never a stroke too much or too little, and the modern painter stands abashed befoTe his works, recognizing that there is nothing technical to be improved upon. Small wonder, then, that he has been termed the painter's painter, "le peintre le plus ])cintre qui fi'it jamais." as Biirger puts it. BiBLiooHAPiiY. The chief original materials for the life of Velazquez, besides the original documents, are his father-in-law's (Pacheco) Arte de la pintura (Seville, 1649) ; Palormino, Museo pictdrico (Madrid, 1724; Eng. trans. 1739) ; and Bermudez, Diccionorio (JLidrid, 1800). Modern biograpliies are those of Stirling-Max- well, in his Annals of the Artists of Spain (Lon- don. 1848), al.so published separately (ib., 18.55); Biirger (Thor<->) (Paris, 1865);" Stowe (London, 1881); and Curtis, Velasquez and Miirillo (Xew York. 1883). By far the best and most complete work upon Velazquez is by Carl .Justi (Bonn. 1888: Eng. trans.. London. 1S89). Others are by Lefovt (Paris. 1894); Armstrong, in the Portfolio (London. 1896) ; Eeruete (Paris, 1898). with fine illustrations; Knackfuss (Bielefeld, 1898); and Stokes (Lon- don. 1902). Good reproductions of his principal works in the Prado ]luseim were ]nd)lishcd at Madrid (lS!)fi). "VTELBERT, vel-bcrC. A manufacturing town in the Rhine Province. Prussia, situated on a rocky elevation 15 miles northeast of Diisseldorf. Small iron and brass wares are produced, and cast iron articles ami brick are shipped out. Population, in 1900. 16.689. "VELDE, viO'dr. '.N nn. A celebrated fam- ily of Dutch artists.— Es.MA.s (1.5901630), born at .Amsterdam, lived chiedy at Haarlem, and exercised an important indiiencc upon the development of the Dutch landscape. His pic-