The Rokeby Venus, an enchanting masterpiece by Diego Velázquez, stands as a testament to the artist's genius during the Spanish Golden Age. Painted between 1647 and 1651, this captivating artwork portrays the Roman goddess Venus in a sensuous pose, reclining on a bed and gazing into a mirror held by her son Cupid. What sets this painting apart are its distinctive elements, including the prominent use of a mirror and Venus turned away from the viewer, challenging traditional depictions of the goddess. With its rarity as the only surviving female nude by Velázquez in seventeenth-century Spanish art, The Rokeby Venus holds profound significance.
Tag: Diego Velázquez
The Triumph of Bacchus: Velázquez’s Realist Treatment of a Mythological Subject
Diego Velázquez's The Triumph of Bacchus, also known as Los borrachos or The Drinkers, is an iconic painting that is housed in the Museo del Prado in Madrid. The work was completed in 1628-1629, just before Velázquez's trip to Italy, and was commissioned by King Philip IV, who paid the artist 100 ducats for his work. The Triumph of Bacchus has been described as the masterpiece of Velázquez's 1620s paintings and represents Bacchus as the god who rewards or gifts men with wine, temporarily releasing them from their problems.
Sapiens Verbum 