Diego Velazquez

Diego Velázquez was a leading Spanish Baroque painter, renowned for his masterful portraits and complex compositions. Serving as court painter to King Philip IV, Velázquez’s works, such as Las Meninas, blend realism, psychological insight, and innovative use of perspective. His skillful handling of light and texture influenced both his contemporaries and later artists like Goya and the Impressionists. Velázquez is celebrated as one of Western art’s greatest portraitists, noted for his ability to capture both nobility and humanity with subtlety and depth.