Velazquez (1599‐1660) was the greatest Spanish painter of the Golden Age in Spain and recognised as such during his own lifetime. A vast body of literature already exists on this artist, from his first biographer, Francisco Pacheco, whose Arte de la Pintura was posthumously published in 1649, to nineteenth, twentieth and twenty‐first century art historians who are continuously publishing monographs and papers as new research comes to light. Indeed the first essay of this scholarly companion concentrates on the literature on Velazquez. So what does this new companion offer? The Cambridge Companions to the History of Art series takes a fresh approach for monographs on single artists, providing an interdisciplinary overview of an artist’s life and time, aimed at university and scholarly levels. The Velazquez volume comprises ten essays with contributions drawn from the academic fields of art history, Spanish and Latin American studies, literature and musicology. By drawing together scholars from different disciplines, the book aims to offer a distinctly different approach with fresh interpretations of Velazquez’s work from new angles.
The first few essays focus on traditional art‐historical concerns about the painter’s training, and influences, in particular, that of Italy and northern Europe. The next two essays by art historians focus on Velazquez’s work as a portraitist, in particular, paintings of King Philip IV and his wives, and their reception by contemporaries. Two essays by historians of the Golden Age of Spanish literature provide interdisciplinary accounts of the relationship between poetry, theatre and visual arts at the Spanish court, as practised by Velazquez, the poet Francisco de Quevedo and the dramatist Calderon de la Barca. Finally, the role of music at court and, in particular, the use of instruments in Velazquez’s paintings, is the subject of a groundbreaking article by Louise K. Stein, an expert in the history of Spanish music.
This series of ten scholarly essays will certainly provide new insight into the work of Velazquez and make a valuable contribution to the literature on this artist. The innovative interdisciplinary approach to research increases our understanding of Velazquez within the wider scope of the Spanish court and cultural life of the time. There is an extensive list of further “selected” references.
