Velazquez and the Surrender of Breda: The Making of a Masterpiece

Through Velazquez's career as a courtier and painter is fairly well documented, letters describing how he thought, felt, and lived are scarce. Abundant information about the artist can be coaxed from his paintings, says New Yorker writer Bailey (Vermeer). He explains that early kitchen scenes and religious paintings testify that the artist was concerned with detail and alive to food, water, and other vital basics of daily domestic existence. He was also highly conscious of art in Flanders and Italy, particularly Caravaggio's heightened realism. Bailey uses one of Velazquez's greatest paintings, The Surrender of Breda, which is a frequent means of entry into Velazquez's later work and world. It was inspired by Velazquez's first visit to Italy, with Ambrogio Spinola, who a few years earlier had conquered the Dutch city of Breda; the painting depicts a transfer of the key to the city from the Dutch to the victorious Spanish. For example, Bailey speculates that the act of surrender may have aroused a personal response in an artist who, instead of following his own muse, had painted endless portraits of Philip IV and family as he climbed the court ladder. This highly provocative, rich, and savory feast challenges readers to see great art with fresh eyes and in context. Illus. (Nov.)