Coronation of the Virgin (Velázquez)
The Coronation of the Virgin | |
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Artist | Diego Velázquez |
Year | 1641-1644 |
Medium | Oil on canvas |
Dimensions | 176 cm × 124 cm (69 in × 49 in) |
Location | Museo del Prado, Madrid |
The Coronation of the Virgin is a 1635–1636 painting on
It was probably commissioned for the oratory of the court of
Description
Velázquez's coronation of the Virgin is exceptional for being a rare religious work by an artist better known for his portraits, and for the air of naturalness and simplicity not found in works by other Baroque religious painters. Its composition is based on an inverted triangle, giving a sense of great equilibrium and harmonious lines and reminiscent (both in its colour and form) of a heart. The main figure is the Virgin Mary, with a modest, reverential, and emotional expression, lowered eyes, a straight nose and curved lips. The sense that the inverted triangle is meant to refer to a heart is reinforced and the viewer's piety invoked by Mary pointing to her own heart.
To the viewer's right is God the Father, represented as a dignified old man, whilst to the left is the long-haired figure of Jesus Christ - together they hold Mary's crown above her head. In the centre the
Velázquez uses mainly blues and violets, and as carmines (especially Venetian carmine) instead of traditional reds following the advice of his tutor Pacheco as written down in his book Arte de la Pintura, despite Velázquez already being an acclaimed artist by the time of producing this painting.
Model
Noting the resemblance of the model in these paintings, the art historian José López-Rey wrote in 1999 that "obviously, Velázquez worked in both cases, and, for that matter, in the
See also
Notes
Sources
- The Coronation of the Virgin, Museo del Prado
- Justi, Carol. Diego Velazquez and His Times. Forgotten Books, 2018. ISBN 1333985479
- López-Rey, José. Velázquez: Catalogue Raisonné. Taschen, Wildenstein Institute, 1999. ISBN 3-8228-6533-8
- MacLaren, Neil; revised Braham, Allan. The Spanish School, National Gallery Catalogues. National Gallery, London, 1970. pp. 125–9. ISBN 0-947645-46-2