On this day, 365 years ago, on August 6, 1660 (July 1, 1660 lunar calendar), Diego Velázquez, the greatest Spanish painter of the late Renaissance, died. Velázquez, full name Diego Rodríguez de Silva Velázquez (Spanish: Diego Rodríguez de Silvay Velázquez, 6 June 1599 - 6 August 1660), was the greatest Spanish painter of the late Renaissance. He was a great influence on later painters, and Francisco Goya considered him "one of his great teachers." He was also a great influence on Impressionism. Most of Velázquez's works were originally collected in museums in Madrid and were unknown to the outside world during the French invasion of Spain in 1811, but they were not destroyed or stolen by the occupying forces because they wanted to be enjoyed by the public. Velázquez was a realist painter. He usually painted only what he saw, and the characters he painted could almost step out of the picture. He also painted some religious paintings, but the idols in them were like human beings, full of tense and painful expressions. His horses and dogs were full of vitality. Velázquez has 274 works in the world, including 121 in England, 13 in France, 12 in Austria, 7 in Russia, and 7 in Germany, but Brute believes that only 14 works in England are his original works. The rest of Velázquez's works, most of which are collected in the Prado Museum in Madrid, Spain, have more than 60 works on display. Unfortunately, his works were not collected in his hometown, the literary and artistic center of Spain, and Seville, the main trade center for the New World at that time. Art historians divide Velázquez's work into three periods, the first before the first visit to Italy, and the third after the second visit to Italy, but Velázquez's works are rarely dated and can only be divided by painting style. Early years with family Velázquez was born in Seville, Spain. His father, Juan Rodríquez de Silva, was a small nobleman and lawyer of Portuguese origin. His mother, Lorima Velázquez, was a noble family in Seville. According to local customs, the surname followed the person of the high family status of the parents, so he took the mother's surname. Velázquez's life was stable, he received a good education in his childhood, and he showed his talent for painting very early. He studied under the most famous painter in Seville at that time, Herrera. Herrera did not approve of the Seville painting world following the Italian fashion at that time. He was a bold and imaginative painter, but he was short-tempered. Most of the students left halfway. Velázquez also studied with him for only one year, but this year had an impact on his life. Velázquez learned how to use a long-headed brush from him. Therefore, the colors in Velázquez's paintings seem to be lightly painted and float on the picture, which is beyond the reach of later people. Velázquez later studied with Bachico for 5 years. Bachico did not have much talent, but he liked to study theory, and some good works also imitated Raphael's style of painting. Here in Bachico, Velázquez learned composition and perspective, and became familiar with the literary and artistic circles of Seville. He persisted in his training in sketching, drawing everything - pottery pots, birds, fish, fruits, flowers, and ordinary people in the countryside. He hired a rural child as his servant and model, made him make various expressions - crying, laughing, etc., and painted a large number of heads. He studied many of Bachico's books and finally married Bachico's daughter. He has gained some fame in Seville. His wife gave birth to two daughters, the youngest daughter died, and the eldest daughter married a painter. During this period, he created some still life paintings and genre paintings, such as "The Woman Fried Eggs", "The Water Carryman" (painting his wife), "Breakfast", "The Water Vendor", and some religious paintings such as "The Pilgrimage of Christ and Emma", "St. John in the Desert", etc. During this period, he used a lot of warm colors to express everyday life. St. John was like a young farmer. In 1622, King Philip IV went to Madrid with Velázquez at the age of 23 in search of work, with a letter of introduction to the minister Foncica, but it was not taken seriously. He only hung out with Foncica's servants for a few months, but he may have been noticed. The next year, King Philip IV's prime minister recruited him back with 50 gold coins. This time, his father-in-law accompanied him to Madrid. It is said that he painted a portrait for the minister and was appreciated by the king. In 1624, Philip IV gave him 500 gold coins to settle down and brought the family to Madrid, where he began to serve in the court until his death. Philip IV was mediocre and lazy, but he loved art. He soon discovered Velázquez's talent and announced that no other painters would be allowed to paint his own portraits in the future. He paid Velázquez 20 gold coins a month, plus medical expenses, provided free housing, and paid extra for each painting he painted. For the rest of his 36 years, he remained Velázquez's protector and friend. Velázquez painted many portraits of the king during this period, but few have survived. There are still two portraits of the king in the Prado Museum. During this period, Velázquez's painting style changed more finely. In 1628, Rubens came to Madrid as a diplomatic envoy of the Netherlands and stayed for 9 months. Velázquez was appointed by the king to receive him and serve as his guide to visit the treasures of Spanish art. Rubens' reputation at that time had reached its peak. His artistic insights benefited Velázquez greatly, but he did not change Velázquez's Spanish style. He greatly appreciated Velázquez's talent and tried to persuade Velázquez to go to Italy to observe the works of the great painters. In 1627, the king held a painting competition for Spanish painters, and Velázquez won. The winning prize was to be appointed as a noble attendant, with an increase of 12 silver coins per day (equivalent to the salary of a court barber), and a clothing fee of 90 gold coins per year (equivalent to the clothing fee of a court clown). In 1629, his painting "Bacchus" also won a prize of 100 gold coins. The Spanish name of this painting is also called "Drunkards", which actually depicts a typical Spanish rural style. In 1629, Philip IV authorized Velázquez to travel to Italy, his salary was paid, and he was given another 400 gold coins. The Prime Minister gave him another 200 gold coins. He took a boat from Barcelona, accompanied by the Marquis of Spinola, who went to Milan to command his army. The Marquis of Spinola was the conqueror of Breda in the Netherlands. Later, Velázquez painted "Breda Surrender". Velázquez visited Venice, Rome, Florence and other places successively. At that time, Italy was under Spanish control. Velázquez received preferential treatment in various places and copied the works of many masters. He lived in the Medici villa in Florence and created some landscape paintings. He lived in Rome for a year and created "The Forge of Vulcan". Returning in 1631, the king prepared a key to his studio and "stood there for several hours" every day. He painted a large number of portraits and accompanied the king on his travels throughout the country. There are about 40 portraits of the king in existence, and many portraits of queens, princes and princesses. Velázquez's work "Portrait of Pope Innocent X" Velázquez visited Italy for the second time in 1648, was ordered to buy art for the king, and lived in Rome for a year in 1650. He befriended the French painters Poussin, Claude Laurin, and some Italian painters. He was entertained by the pope, and as a thank you, he painted a portrait of Pope Innocent X. It is said that a bishop passed by the door where the painting was hung, turned around and whispered to his companions: "Speak quietly, the pope is here." This shows the degree of realism. Velázquez was admitted as a foreign member of the Roman Academy of Painting, the Church of St. Luke. In 1651, Velázquez returned to his home country and was immediately promoted to "governor of the court". He created "Venus in front of the mirror", which was the first nude in religiously strict Spain and one of only two nudes in Spanish history. The other was Goya's "Nude Maha". In 1656, he created two of his most famous works, "The Palace" and "The Spinner," whose composition and contrast of light and shade influenced Impressionist painters such as Claude Monet. Velázquez's work "Venus in front of the mirror" After his later years, Velázquez was busy with court trivia and did not create much. In 1660, he prepared the wedding of the Spanish princess and the French king Louis XIV in the river island at the border of France and all the travel of the royal family. It was rumored in Madrid that he was exhausted. When he came back tired to the surprise of his family, he still had to wait for the king's feast on July 31. After returning home, he could not get up and died on August 6. He was buried in the church of San Juan, and eight days later, his wife was buried next to him, but the church was destroyed in the war of the French Napoleonic invasion in 1811, and there is no place to find his grave now. Velázquez never founded a school of painting. After his death, the Kingdom of Spain soon declined, until people rediscovered his greatness 200 years later. Comments: I remember seeing "Miyagi" and "Portrait of Pope Innocent X" in middle school art textbooks, especially the latter one has a good grasp of the character's temperament and is deeply impressed.