[Script Info]
Title: 
[Events]
Format: Layer, Start, End, Style, Name, MarginL, MarginR, MarginV, Effect, Text
Dialogue: 0,0:00:04.90,0:00:09.71,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,"Las Meninas", Diego Velázquez's portrait\Nof a Spanish princess and her entourage
Dialogue: 0,0:00:09.71,0:00:14.75,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,is one of (if not THE) most widely\Ndiscussed painting in Western Art.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:15.38,0:00:17.76,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Every viewing raises more questions
Dialogue: 0,0:00:17.76,0:00:21.62,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and every answer is followed\Nby a dense network of meanings.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:22.45,0:00:25.14,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,It is not only a high point\Nof realism in painting,
Dialogue: 0,0:00:25.15,0:00:28.72,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,a perfect lifelike depiction\Nof the Spanish court,
Dialogue: 0,0:00:28.74,0:00:32.83,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,it is also a complex meditation\Non painting itself.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:33.42,0:00:35.24,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,It is a spellbinding work
Dialogue: 0,0:00:35.24,0:00:38.12,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,that is concerned \Nwith how we view a painting,
Dialogue: 0,0:00:38.14,0:00:40.66,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and how the subjects\Nin a painting view us.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:41.27,0:00:44.50,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Velázquez was 57 years old\Nwhen he painted this,
Dialogue: 0,0:00:44.53,0:00:47.74,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and had been the court painter\Nfor over 30 years.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:47.80,0:00:49.96,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,But in this painting\N— for the first time —
Dialogue: 0,0:00:50.00,0:00:52.84,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,he includes himself among the courtiers,
Dialogue: 0,0:00:52.84,0:00:57.78,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,painting a monumental canvas\N10 and 1/2 feet tall by 9 feet wide,
Dialogue: 0,0:00:58.05,0:01:03.29,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,the same size as the actual painting\Nthat the painted canvas is shown within.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:04.19,0:01:05.94,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,But who is he painting?
Dialogue: 0,0:01:06.29,0:01:09.47,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,The infanta? \NThe king and queen of Spain?
Dialogue: 0,0:01:09.75,0:01:12.49,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Or is he painting you, looking at him?
Dialogue: 0,0:01:29.85,0:01:32.26,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Early in his career, Velázquez produced
Dialogue: 0,0:01:32.27,0:01:34.67,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,several of these "kitchen" \Nor "tavern" scenes,
Dialogue: 0,0:01:34.69,0:01:37.25,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,known in Spanish as "bodegones".
Dialogue: 0,0:01:37.46,0:01:40.59,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,They showed ordinary people\Nin ordinary settings,
Dialogue: 0,0:01:40.63,0:01:43.68,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,often with hidden allegorical meaning.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:43.76,0:01:47.08,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,When he was just 18, \Nhe painted this extraordinary work,
Dialogue: 0,0:01:47.08,0:01:49.19,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,which shows a precocious talent
Dialogue: 0,0:01:49.22,0:01:51.60,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,for capturing the everyday moment
Dialogue: 0,0:01:51.62,0:01:53.85,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and clearly shows his immense skill
Dialogue: 0,0:01:53.87,0:01:56.52,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,in depicting different\Nmaterials and textures,
Dialogue: 0,0:01:56.53,0:01:59.16,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,as well as his mastery of light and shadow
Dialogue: 0,0:01:59.16,0:02:02.12,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,on both opaque and reflective \Nsurfaces.
Dialogue: 0,0:02:02.76,0:02:07.15,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,The detail of the eggs \Nfrying in hot oil is a masterclass.
Dialogue: 0,0:02:07.49,0:02:11.14,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,This painting which was probably\Npainted to show off his skills,
Dialogue: 0,0:02:11.15,0:02:13.70,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,became his calling card \Nto the Royal Palace.
Dialogue: 0,0:02:13.78,0:02:16.15,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Here, the water dripping down the jug
Dialogue: 0,0:02:16.15,0:02:18.47,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,demonstrates his astonishing ability
Dialogue: 0,0:02:18.47,0:02:21.24,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,to create an almost photographic reality.
Dialogue: 0,0:02:21.45,0:02:25.01,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Common people were always\Ntreated with dignity by the artist
Dialogue: 0,0:02:25.25,0:02:27.67,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and his early paintings not only showed
Dialogue: 0,0:02:27.67,0:02:30.98,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,a supremely confident\Ntechnique and attention to detail,
Dialogue: 0,0:02:31.08,0:02:34.44,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,he gave workers\Na gravitas in his paintings.
Dialogue: 0,0:02:37.58,0:02:43.07,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Diego Rodríguez de Silva y Velázquez\Nwas born in 1599 in Seville,
Dialogue: 0,0:02:43.16,0:02:47.21,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,to a family with plenty of intellect\Nbut little financial means.
Dialogue: 0,0:02:47.86,0:02:51.01,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Precocious talented, \Nhe began a six-year apprenticeship
Dialogue: 0,0:02:51.04,0:02:52.91,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,when he was 12 years old,
Dialogue: 0,0:02:52.92,0:02:55.39,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,with the painter Francisco Pacheco,
Dialogue: 0,0:02:55.39,0:02:57.94,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,learning classical techniques of painting.
Dialogue: 0,0:02:58.36,0:03:03.04,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,But the young artist quickly moved away\Nfrom Pacheco's old-fashioned stiff style,
Dialogue: 0,0:03:03.05,0:03:05.63,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,towards a new dramatic naturalism
Dialogue: 0,0:03:05.66,0:03:08.17,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,inspired by Caravaggio and his followers.
Dialogue: 0,0:03:08.40,0:03:11.66,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,There is no evidence he saw\NCaravaggio's work in person,
Dialogue: 0,0:03:11.76,0:03:15.26,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,but he knew the work of Pieter Aertsen,\Na Dutch painter
Dialogue: 0,0:03:15.28,0:03:18.63,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,accredited with the invention\Nof the monumental genre scene,
Dialogue: 0,0:03:18.68,0:03:21.30,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,which combines still life \Nand genre painting,
Dialogue: 0,0:03:21.30,0:03:24.74,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and often includes \Na biblical scene in the background,
Dialogue: 0,0:03:24.78,0:03:26.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,almost like a split screen effect.
Dialogue: 0,0:03:27.42,0:03:30.25,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Velázquez painted several \Nof these types of scenes,
Dialogue: 0,0:03:30.30,0:03:33.80,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and he is clearly already\Nexperimenting with illusion,
Dialogue: 0,0:03:33.80,0:03:35.70,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,with the picture within a picture,
Dialogue: 0,0:03:35.74,0:03:39.15,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,something he will perfect later\Nin "Las Meninas".
Dialogue: 0,0:03:39.56,0:03:42.96,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,In 1623, two years after Philip IV
Dialogue: 0,0:03:42.96,0:03:45.96,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,came to the throne in Spain \Nat the age of 16,
Dialogue: 0,0:03:46.02,0:03:49.74,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Velázquez, who was already being \Ntalked about in the right circles,
Dialogue: 0,0:03:49.76,0:03:52.82,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,was summoned to Madrid \Nto paint a portrait of the king
Dialogue: 0,0:03:52.95,0:03:55.20,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,which we think is this one.
Dialogue: 0,0:03:55.50,0:03:57.25,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,It was an immediate success
Dialogue: 0,0:03:57.27,0:04:00.92,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and he was pronounced \Nofficial painter to the king on the spot,
Dialogue: 0,0:04:01.26,0:04:05.73,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,with a promise that no one else should\Nportray the king without his permission,
Dialogue: 0,0:04:06.28,0:04:08.86,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,a remarkable achievement\Nfor such a young man,
Dialogue: 0,0:04:08.86,0:04:12.90,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and one which awakened jealousy\Nfrom the other court painters.
Dialogue: 0,0:04:13.64,0:04:16.78,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Philipe IV of Spain and Velázquez \Nwere linked together
Dialogue: 0,0:04:16.78,0:04:19.08,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,like no other patronage in Art History.
Dialogue: 0,0:04:19.13,0:04:21.69,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,He first painted him at the age of 24
Dialogue: 0,0:04:21.70,0:04:23.46,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and 33 years later
Dialogue: 0,0:04:23.52,0:04:26.10,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,this painting would \Nbe his last of the king.
Dialogue: 0,0:04:26.41,0:04:30.22,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Their relationship was unusually close\Nfor a monarch and his painter,
Dialogue: 0,0:04:30.30,0:04:32.50,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and the king often came to Velázquez
Dialogue: 0,0:04:32.50,0:04:36.05,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,while he was painting in his workshop\N— just for a quick chat.
Dialogue: 0,0:04:36.36,0:04:37.50,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,It has been said
Dialogue: 0,0:04:37.50,0:04:40.67,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,that the principal motivating force\Nin Velázquez's life,
Dialogue: 0,0:04:40.67,0:04:42.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,was the desire to be a nobleman,
Dialogue: 0,0:04:43.17,0:04:45.16,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and he would remain\Nattached to the court
Dialogue: 0,0:04:45.17,0:04:46.76,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,for the rest of his life,
Dialogue: 0,0:04:46.76,0:04:48.89,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,where step by step he would ascend
Dialogue: 0,0:04:48.89,0:04:51.64,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,through the hierarchy\Nof court appointments,
Dialogue: 0,0:04:51.70,0:04:53.94,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,working his way up to a knighthood,
Dialogue: 0,0:04:53.96,0:04:58.40,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and he used "Las Meninas" to prove \Nthat he should be considered as a noble.
Dialogue: 0,0:04:59.04,0:05:01.89,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,At the same time \Nhe is painting his masterpiece,
Dialogue: 0,0:05:01.89,0:05:03.59,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,a committee are deciding
Dialogue: 0,0:05:03.59,0:05:06.61,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,whether he can be made a knight\Nof the order of Santiago,
Dialogue: 0,0:05:06.65,0:05:09.11,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,in other words be ennobled.
Dialogue: 0,0:05:09.24,0:05:13.42,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,There is a reason he has put himself\Nin one of his paintings for the first time
Dialogue: 0,0:05:13.50,0:05:16.23,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,— on an equal footing\Nwith Spanish royalty.
Dialogue: 0,0:05:16.56,0:05:18.35,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,It is so important to understand
Dialogue: 0,0:05:18.35,0:05:21.97,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,that a painter in 17th century \NSpain and elsewhere,
Dialogue: 0,0:05:21.99,0:05:26.19,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,was considered as just another\Ncrafts person, like a carpenter,
Dialogue: 0,0:05:26.19,0:05:28.89,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,in other words, a manual worker.
Dialogue: 0,0:05:29.19,0:05:32.21,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And like most court painters\Nhe had many other jobs.
Dialogue: 0,0:05:32.26,0:05:34.67,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Velázquez was also \Nthe "Royal Chamberlain",
Dialogue: 0,0:05:34.67,0:05:37.55,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,a job that involved \Nlooking after the palace,
Dialogue: 0,0:05:37.81,0:05:40.82,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,buying firewood, \Nbedding, and crockery.
Dialogue: 0,0:05:40.95,0:05:43.32,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,He had a key to every room in the palace
Dialogue: 0,0:05:43.32,0:05:46.01,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and we can see here,\Nhanging from the painter's belt,
Dialogue: 0,0:05:46.02,0:05:48.40,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,the symbolic keys\Nof his court offices
Dialogue: 0,0:05:48.40,0:05:51.19,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,of which he was inordinately proud.
Dialogue: 0,0:05:51.50,0:05:53.85,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,He was also the curator\Nof the king's galleries,
Dialogue: 0,0:05:53.88,0:05:57.55,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,responsible for negotiating \Nthe purchase of hundreds of works.
Dialogue: 0,0:05:57.81,0:06:01.16,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,In fact, almost every Titian\Nyou see today in the Prado,
Dialogue: 0,0:06:01.17,0:06:03.83,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,was bought by Velázquez, \Non trips to Italy.
Dialogue: 0,0:06:04.26,0:06:05.95,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,The artist had a long life,
Dialogue: 0,0:06:05.95,0:06:10.10,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,but only produced \Nbetween 110 and 120 known canvases.
Dialogue: 0,0:06:10.35,0:06:12.89,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,He produced no etchings or engravings
Dialogue: 0,0:06:12.91,0:06:15.68,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and only a few drawings \Nare attributed to him.
Dialogue: 0,0:06:15.70,0:06:20.61,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,This all ties into his two enormous,\Nbut mutually exclusive, ambitions.
Dialogue: 0,0:06:20.98,0:06:22.40,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,He wanted to be seen
Dialogue: 0,0:06:22.40,0:06:24.88,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,as the greatest painter \Nof the Spanish court
Dialogue: 0,0:06:24.88,0:06:29.20,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,but he also wanted to go down\Nin History as a great gentleman.
Dialogue: 0,0:06:29.40,0:06:32.18,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,The problem was that throughout\Nhis time in the palace,
Dialogue: 0,0:06:32.25,0:06:34.20,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,his close friendship with the king
Dialogue: 0,0:06:34.20,0:06:36.17,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,meant he had his enemies in the court,
Dialogue: 0,0:06:36.17,0:06:39.40,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,who were determined \Nto stop his rise through the ranks.
Dialogue: 0,0:06:42.55,0:06:46.16,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Philipe became king in 1621 \Nat the age of 16
Dialogue: 0,0:06:46.16,0:06:49.37,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and heir to the Habsburg \Nart collection in Madrid,
Dialogue: 0,0:06:49.65,0:06:51.15,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,in a court that commissioned
Dialogue: 0,0:06:51.15,0:06:54.11,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,not only paintings \Nbut poetry and theatre too.
Dialogue: 0,0:06:54.18,0:06:57.05,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,We often talk about\Nthe "Golden Age of Spain",
Dialogue: 0,0:06:57.12,0:06:59.95,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and it was a time \Nwhen great palaces were being built
Dialogue: 0,0:06:59.95,0:07:02.74,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and culture was flourishing, \Nwith among others:
Dialogue: 0,0:07:02.74,0:07:07.86,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,El Greco, Velázquez, Zurbarán, \NMurillo and Cervantes.
Dialogue: 0,0:07:08.46,0:07:11.51,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,But Philip IV was in trouble\Nfor much of his rule,
Dialogue: 0,0:07:11.53,0:07:16.35,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,mainly because of long drawn out \Nexpensive wars, revolts, revolutions,
Dialogue: 0,0:07:16.47,0:07:18.44,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and trouble in the colonies.
Dialogue: 0,0:07:18.50,0:07:21.91,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,But also because \Nof genetics and inbreeding.
Dialogue: 0,0:07:22.36,0:07:24.33,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,For two centuries, the Habsburg kings
Dialogue: 0,0:07:24.33,0:07:27.23,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,had married first cousins,\Nnieces and aunts,
Dialogue: 0,0:07:27.33,0:07:30.96,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,resulting in an onslaught of physical \Nand mental ailments
Dialogue: 0,0:07:31.01,0:07:33.72,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,because of their limited gene pool.
Dialogue: 0,0:07:34.10,0:07:37.23,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,The distinctive "Habsburg jaw" \Nwe see on Philip IV
Dialogue: 0,0:07:37.23,0:07:39.56,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,was inherited from earlier Habsburgs,
Dialogue: 0,0:07:39.58,0:07:43.37,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and likely the result \Nof the royal family's inbreeding.
Dialogue: 0,0:07:43.61,0:07:45.92,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Despite the Spanish Colonial Empire,
Dialogue: 0,0:07:45.92,0:07:49.63,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,the country was almost continuously\Nin financial difficulties,
Dialogue: 0,0:07:49.67,0:07:54.39,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and had declared bankruptcies\Nin 1647 and 1653.
Dialogue: 0,0:07:54.75,0:07:57.32,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,The Spanish royal family \Nwas so broke
Dialogue: 0,0:07:57.32,0:08:00.27,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,that they often couldn't afford \Nfirewood to heat the palace,
Dialogue: 0,0:08:00.27,0:08:02.19,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,or bread for the tables.
Dialogue: 0,0:08:02.31,0:08:04.43,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,In fact, when Velázquez died,
Dialogue: 0,0:08:04.45,0:08:07.98,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,the crown still owed him \N17 years of salary payments.
Dialogue: 0,0:08:08.37,0:08:11.58,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And yet, what does "Las Meninas" portray?
Dialogue: 0,0:08:11.80,0:08:15.43,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,A wealthy family dressed\Nin the finest clothes money can buy
Dialogue: 0,0:08:15.43,0:08:18.07,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,surrounded \Nby gloriously attired servants
Dialogue: 0,0:08:18.07,0:08:20.66,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,in an ornate and sumptuous setting.
Dialogue: 0,0:08:20.84,0:08:24.32,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Like all royal portraiture, \Nit is a form of propaganda
Dialogue: 0,0:08:24.32,0:08:29.41,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,designed to show a courtly audience,\Ndynastic stability and Imperial wealth.
Dialogue: 0,0:08:30.15,0:08:34.33,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,But one thing Philip IV can't disguise\Nis the lack of a male heir.
Dialogue: 0,0:08:34.77,0:08:37.78,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,He is on his second marriage\Nby the time of this painting.
Dialogue: 0,0:08:38.06,0:08:41.32,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,He had 10 children with his first wife, \NIsabelle de Bourbon,
Dialogue: 0,0:08:41.39,0:08:43.76,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,but only one son and heir.
Dialogue: 0,0:08:43.83,0:08:46.03,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,His wife died in 1644.
Dialogue: 0,0:08:46.03,0:08:49.05,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And then in 1646, their son died.
Dialogue: 0,0:08:49.69,0:08:52.89,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,A year later, in a hurry \Nto create a new son and heir,
Dialogue: 0,0:08:53.01,0:08:57.30,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,he married his 14-year-old niece, Marianna\N— when he was 44.
Dialogue: 0,0:08:57.52,0:09:01.46,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,She gave him five children,\Nbut only two survived to adulthood.
Dialogue: 0,0:09:01.58,0:09:05.27,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,A daughter, Margarita Theresa, \Nborn in 1651,
Dialogue: 0,0:09:05.34,0:09:09.57,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,the infanta in "Las Meninas",\Nwho sadly would die in her teens,
Dialogue: 0,0:09:09.59,0:09:12.43,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and the future king Charles II of Spain
Dialogue: 0,0:09:12.43,0:09:15.13,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,who was born 5 years after "Las Meninas".
Dialogue: 0,0:09:15.40,0:09:17.68,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Charles however, \Nwas severely disabled,
Dialogue: 0,0:09:17.68,0:09:19.31,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,thanks to inbreeding,
Dialogue: 0,0:09:19.31,0:09:22.12,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and he would be the last\Nof the Spanish Habsburgs.
Dialogue: 0,0:09:25.08,0:09:26.78,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Velázquez's position at the court
Dialogue: 0,0:09:26.78,0:09:29.55,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,gave him unique access\Nto the royal collections,
Dialogue: 0,0:09:29.55,0:09:33.05,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and he would naturally be influenced\Nby the works he saw every day.
Dialogue: 0,0:09:33.19,0:09:35.96,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,He also visited Italy at least twice,
Dialogue: 0,0:09:36.04,0:09:38.95,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,on extended trips \Nto buy paintings for Philipe IV,
Dialogue: 0,0:09:38.98,0:09:41.19,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and to study the great Masters.
Dialogue: 0,0:09:41.20,0:09:44.61,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,He was accompanied on these trips\Nby his enslaved assistant,
Dialogue: 0,0:09:44.64,0:09:48.19,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,a notable painter in his own right, \NJuan de Pareja,
Dialogue: 0,0:09:48.26,0:09:50.64,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,who would be given\Nhis freedom by Velázquez
Dialogue: 0,0:09:50.68,0:09:55.41,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,shortly after he painted this beautiful \Nand dignified portrait in 1650.
Dialogue: 0,0:09:55.66,0:09:59.90,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,The work's extraordinary lifelike quality\Nso astonished the papal court,
Dialogue: 0,0:09:59.94,0:10:03.01,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,that he was asked to paint Pope Innocent X
Dialogue: 0,0:10:03.09,0:10:06.60,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,one of the painter's best \Nand most psychologically insightful works,
Dialogue: 0,0:10:06.62,0:10:10.04,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,which has been described \Nas "a symphony in red".
Dialogue: 0,0:10:10.11,0:10:13.34,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,It is said that when the pope saw\Nhis portrait completed,
Dialogue: 0,0:10:13.36,0:10:15.56,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,he exclaimed somewhat bewildered:
Dialogue: 0,0:10:15.63,0:10:18.50,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,"Troppo Vero" - "too truthful".
Dialogue: 0,0:10:18.90,0:10:22.38,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,The influence of contemporary \NItalian artists, can be seen
Dialogue: 0,0:10:22.38,0:10:24.42,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,in Velázquez's mastery of perspective,
Dialogue: 0,0:10:24.47,0:10:27.50,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and his rendering of the male nude\Nin this large canvas,
Dialogue: 0,0:10:27.50,0:10:29.40,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,he painted while in Rome.
Dialogue: 0,0:10:29.54,0:10:31.77,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,It was Titian and Peter Paul Rubens,
Dialogue: 0,0:10:31.77,0:10:34.33,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,who would have more influence\Nthan any other artist
Dialogue: 0,0:10:34.33,0:10:36.16,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,on the development of his style,
Dialogue: 0,0:10:36.25,0:10:38.52,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and in particular his royal portraits,
Dialogue: 0,0:10:38.54,0:10:41.17,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,where, in some cases, \Nwe can clearly see
Dialogue: 0,0:10:41.17,0:10:44.08,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,stylistic similarities\Nbetween the great Masters.
Dialogue: 0,0:10:44.43,0:10:47.70,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,This early Titian painting hung\Nin the Spanish royal palace
Dialogue: 0,0:10:47.71,0:10:50.01,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,when Philip IV came to power
Dialogue: 0,0:10:50.01,0:10:51.57,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and was used as the standard
Dialogue: 0,0:10:51.58,0:10:55.15,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,by which all other royal equestrian\Nportraits would be judged.
Dialogue: 0,0:10:55.32,0:10:59.28,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And this spectacular life-sized\Nequestrian portrait by Velázquez
Dialogue: 0,0:10:59.32,0:11:03.19,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,of Philip IV clearly influenced \Nby Titian and Rubens,
Dialogue: 0,0:11:03.22,0:11:05.76,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,not only in its simplicity of pose
Dialogue: 0,0:11:05.78,0:11:07.96,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,but also in its depiction of the king
Dialogue: 0,0:11:07.100,0:11:10.35,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,as a restrained and powerful ruler.
Dialogue: 0,0:11:10.41,0:11:15.49,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Velázquez's portrait however is livelier,\Nmore elegant and uses a lighter pallette,
Dialogue: 0,0:11:15.56,0:11:19.40,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and doesn't rely \Non a highly charged background.
Dialogue: 0,0:11:19.83,0:11:25.11,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,The Flemish painter Rubens, even visited \Nthe Spanish court of Philip IV in 1628.
Dialogue: 0,0:11:25.39,0:11:27.85,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,He was actually on a diplomatic mission,
Dialogue: 0,0:11:27.87,0:11:30.92,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,but still managed to paint five \Nportraits of Philipe,
Dialogue: 0,0:11:30.92,0:11:32.42,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,while he was there.
Dialogue: 0,0:11:32.47,0:11:34.64,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,He became great friends with Velázquez
Dialogue: 0,0:11:34.64,0:11:38.45,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and encouraged him to go to Italy\Nto study the Italian Masters
Dialogue: 0,0:11:38.49,0:11:40.52,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,to move away from "chiaroscuro",
Dialogue: 0,0:11:40.52,0:11:44.43,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,to be looser in his brush work\Nand to adopt a brighter palette colour.
Dialogue: 0,0:11:44.66,0:11:47.32,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Rubens was not only a successful painter,
Dialogue: 0,0:11:47.34,0:11:49.15,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,but he was also an important diplomat
Dialogue: 0,0:11:49.19,0:11:52.22,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,who had been knighted \Ndespite his humble background.
Dialogue: 0,0:11:52.41,0:11:55.55,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,The ambitious Velázquez \Nsaw Rubens as a role model,
Dialogue: 0,0:11:55.62,0:11:58.87,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and through him he found someone\Nhe could identify with.
Dialogue: 0,0:11:59.04,0:12:03.11,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,It was Titian's late works that inspired\Nboth Rubens and Velázquez.
Dialogue: 0,0:12:03.35,0:12:06.14,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Titian used sketchy and loosely\Napplied brush work,
Dialogue: 0,0:12:06.14,0:12:08.94,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and he would drag and smudge\Npaint over the canvas
Dialogue: 0,0:12:08.94,0:12:12.66,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,to suggest the form, \Nrather than using definitive strokes.
Dialogue: 0,0:12:12.91,0:12:16.72,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,He also used a very thick\Nrough weave for his canvases,
Dialogue: 0,0:12:16.72,0:12:18.94,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,that gave texture to his surfaces.
Dialogue: 0,0:12:18.100,0:12:20.89,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Velázquez would do the same.
Dialogue: 0,0:12:20.96,0:12:25.60,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Maybe less well known is the influence\Nof Sánchez Coello and Antonis Mor,
Dialogue: 0,0:12:25.70,0:12:27.55,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,who were in the royal collection,
Dialogue: 0,0:12:27.55,0:12:30.77,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and would also be important\Nto how Velázquez helped Philipe IV
Dialogue: 0,0:12:30.77,0:12:34.53,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,forge a calculated image\Nof power and piety.
Dialogue: 0,0:12:35.15,0:12:38.12,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Probably the biggest influence\Non "Las Meninas" though,
Dialogue: 0,0:12:38.12,0:12:40.36,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,was a painting from two centuries earlier,
Dialogue: 0,0:12:40.36,0:12:43.26,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,"The Arnolfini Portrait", by Jan Van Eyck,
Dialogue: 0,0:12:43.28,0:12:45.80,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,that I discussed in my earlier video.
Dialogue: 0,0:12:46.08,0:12:48.65,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,This too was \Nin the collection of Philip IV,
Dialogue: 0,0:12:48.67,0:12:52.46,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and Velázquez would pass it every day\Non the way to his studio.
Dialogue: 0,0:12:52.75,0:12:56.95,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Like "Las Meninas", the Arnolfini portrait \Nalso has a mirror
Dialogue: 0,0:12:56.95,0:12:59.58,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,positioned at the back\Nof the pictorial space,
Dialogue: 0,0:12:59.59,0:13:03.85,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,reflecting two figures who would have \Nthe same point of view as we do.
Dialogue: 0,0:13:04.27,0:13:08.36,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,It also plays with pictorial space,\Nreflection and illusion,
Dialogue: 0,0:13:08.81,0:13:11.43,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,not only in art but also in literature.
Dialogue: 0,0:13:11.48,0:13:15.01,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,For example, Don Quixote\Nby Miguel de Cervantes,
Dialogue: 0,0:13:15.04,0:13:18.29,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,is itself a complex multifaceted picture
Dialogue: 0,0:13:18.35,0:13:21.38,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,of the relationship\Nbetween reality and illusion.
Dialogue: 0,0:13:24.71,0:13:26.57,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Velázquez used a very coarse canvas,
Dialogue: 0,0:13:26.63,0:13:29.78,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and he didn't use many\Npreliminary sketches that we know of,
Dialogue: 0,0:13:29.82,0:13:32.82,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,but rather, he painted\Ndirectly onto the canvas.
Dialogue: 0,0:13:33.06,0:13:35.11,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,As we can see with these X-rays
Dialogue: 0,0:13:35.11,0:13:37.58,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,he often changed his work\Nas he was painting it,
Dialogue: 0,0:13:37.58,0:13:40.42,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and these changes \Nare known as "pentimento"
Dialogue: 0,0:13:40.47,0:13:43.76,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Velázquez was so experienced\Nby the time of "Las Meninas",
Dialogue: 0,0:13:43.76,0:13:47.60,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,that the work has very few changes,\Napart from his self-portrait,
Dialogue: 0,0:13:47.71,0:13:51.08,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,which initially turned his head\Nmore towards the infanta.
Dialogue: 0,0:13:51.35,0:13:53.27,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,For much of his early career,
Dialogue: 0,0:13:53.27,0:13:55.71,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,the artist used \Na red ground for underlayer,
Dialogue: 0,0:13:55.71,0:13:58.11,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,good for building up \Ncontrast and tonal values
Dialogue: 0,0:13:58.15,0:14:00.30,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,- the light and the dark.
Dialogue: 0,0:14:00.37,0:14:03.71,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,But by the time of "Las Meninas", \Nhe had a much looser style,
Dialogue: 0,0:14:03.73,0:14:07.62,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and diluted his pigments to make them\Nmore translucent and fluid,
Dialogue: 0,0:14:07.62,0:14:09.31,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and he painted quite thinly,
Dialogue: 0,0:14:09.31,0:14:12.75,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,so this necessitated using \Na neutral grey ground,
Dialogue: 0,0:14:12.78,0:14:15.08,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,which allowed \Nfor a much wider tonal range,
Dialogue: 0,0:14:15.11,0:14:18.94,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,greater luminosity\Nand a general silvery range of colour.
Dialogue: 0,0:14:19.30,0:14:21.07,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,This was unusual at the time,
Dialogue: 0,0:14:21.07,0:14:24.37,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,as most canvases were primed \Nusing dark colours.
Dialogue: 0,0:14:24.67,0:14:27.50,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,He would paint "alla prima" or wet-on-wet,
Dialogue: 0,0:14:27.50,0:14:31.06,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,where layers of wet paint are applied \Nto existing layers of wet paint,
Dialogue: 0,0:14:31.06,0:14:34.05,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,often finishing his paintings\Nin one session.
Dialogue: 0,0:14:34.14,0:14:36.53,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,With a painting\Nof this size and complexity,
Dialogue: 0,0:14:36.53,0:14:38.05,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,that would not be possible,
Dialogue: 0,0:14:38.06,0:14:41.18,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and we can see one example\Nin the infanta's sleeve,
Dialogue: 0,0:14:41.18,0:14:43.43,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,where although it is mostly wet-on-wet,
Dialogue: 0,0:14:43.44,0:14:47.09,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,areas of highlights have been dabbed \Non later in thick impasto,
Dialogue: 0,0:14:47.09,0:14:48.90,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,to create texture.
Dialogue: 0,0:14:49.01,0:14:52.58,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,With Velázquez, you are always aware\Nthat you are looking at paint.
Dialogue: 0,0:14:52.75,0:14:56.38,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,He doesn't try to hide his brush marks\N- quite the reverse.
Dialogue: 0,0:14:56.74,0:14:59.19,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,By the time he came round\Nto painting "Las Meninas",
Dialogue: 0,0:14:59.21,0:15:02.28,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,his technique was \Nat its freest and most fluid.
Dialogue: 0,0:15:02.86,0:15:05.50,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,It is often called \Na precursor to Impressionism,
Dialogue: 0,0:15:05.52,0:15:07.34,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,but it's more than that.
Dialogue: 0,0:15:07.38,0:15:11.42,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Here, the silver of the tray on which\Nthe "menina" holds the ceramic container
Dialogue: 0,0:15:11.47,0:15:14.56,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,is achieved with a couple of flicks\Nof white paint,
Dialogue: 0,0:15:14.71,0:15:17.83,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and the flowers are just\Na few slashes of red.
Dialogue: 0,0:15:17.90,0:15:22.20,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,We often talk about "chiaroscuro",\Nthe extreme contrast of light and dark,
Dialogue: 0,0:15:22.21,0:15:24.01,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,when we talk about Velázquez,
Dialogue: 0,0:15:24.04,0:15:26.50,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and comparisons \Nare often made with Caravaggio.
Dialogue: 0,0:15:26.80,0:15:30.14,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,He painted his most technically\NCaravaggio-like picture,
Dialogue: 0,0:15:30.16,0:15:32.92,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,"Christ after the flagellation', early on.
Dialogue: 0,0:15:33.11,0:15:36.98,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,But later, he used a more subtle \Nvariation of "chiaroscuro",
Dialogue: 0,0:15:37.23,0:15:40.54,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,still using light to direct our vision\Nbut more subtly,
Dialogue: 0,0:15:40.63,0:15:44.12,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,as we can see when we look\Nat "Las Meninas" in greyscale.
Dialogue: 0,0:15:45.15,0:15:48.36,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Velasquez uses a dark colour palette\Nfor "Las Meninas",
Dialogue: 0,0:15:48.46,0:15:51.34,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,mostly neutral colours and quite limited,
Dialogue: 0,0:15:51.37,0:15:54.07,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and yet he manages \Nto get a broad range of tones
Dialogue: 0,0:15:54.07,0:15:58.55,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,with just whites, blues, yellows, \Nochres, and small touches of red,
Dialogue: 0,0:15:58.62,0:16:00.83,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,that help draw your eyes \Naround the painting
Dialogue: 0,0:16:00.83,0:16:03.03,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,towards key points of interest.
Dialogue: 0,0:16:03.50,0:16:06.65,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Velázquez even lets us know\Nwhich colours he used,
Dialogue: 0,0:16:06.73,0:16:09.54,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,as the palette that the painter holds\Nin his left hand,
Dialogue: 0,0:16:09.56,0:16:12.92,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,has the very pigments \Nhe used on "Las Meninas".
Dialogue: 0,0:16:16.73,0:16:18.87,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Between 1640 and 1660,
Dialogue: 0,0:16:18.90,0:16:21.19,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Velázquez mostly painted \Nsingle portraits.
Dialogue: 0,0:16:21.60,0:16:25.61,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,The composition and structure\Nof "Las Meninas" was extremely complicated
Dialogue: 0,0:16:25.67,0:16:27.37,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and with so many characters
Dialogue: 0,0:16:27.37,0:16:31.21,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,it's really like the staging of a piece \Nof theatre or performance art.
Dialogue: 0,0:16:31.24,0:16:33.24,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,It needed to be carefully planned out,
Dialogue: 0,0:16:33.24,0:16:36.11,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,with every character seen,\Nas well as being seen.
Dialogue: 0,0:16:36.13,0:16:39.85,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,In Velázquez's hands, \Nthey are fully realized individuals.
Dialogue: 0,0:16:40.30,0:16:43.73,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Thanks to the 18th century \Nart historian Antonio Palamino,
Dialogue: 0,0:16:43.73,0:16:47.06,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,who wrote a 1724 book on Spanish painters,
Dialogue: 0,0:16:47.17,0:16:49.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,we know quite a lot \Nabout the people in "Las Meninas",
Dialogue: 0,0:16:49.99,0:16:51.82,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,including their names.
Dialogue: 0,0:16:52.02,0:16:54.97,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Palomino spoke to Velázquez's colleagues\Nafter his death,
Dialogue: 0,0:16:55.07,0:16:58.14,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,as well as four of the nine people\Npictured in the painting.
Dialogue: 0,0:16:58.37,0:17:00.24,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Most of the members of the court
Dialogue: 0,0:17:00.24,0:17:02.56,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,are grouped around\Nthe 5-year-old infanta,
Dialogue: 0,0:17:02.56,0:17:04.23,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Margarita Teresa,
Dialogue: 0,0:17:04.23,0:17:07.66,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,who is attended by two "meninas"\N- or maids-in-waiting.
Dialogue: 0,0:17:07.68,0:17:09.80,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,María Agustina Sarmiento,
Dialogue: 0,0:17:09.81,0:17:12.15,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,who is passing her water\Nin terracotta pots
Dialogue: 0,0:17:12.17,0:17:13.96,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,(so it could be summer).
Dialogue: 0,0:17:14.04,0:17:17.73,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and Isabel de Velasco, \Nwho seems to be in mid-curtsy.
Dialogue: 0,0:17:18.01,0:17:20.54,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Velázquez had painted the princess \Nmany times,
Dialogue: 0,0:17:20.72,0:17:24.36,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,but unfortunately, she would die \Nbefore she was out of her teens.
Dialogue: 0,0:17:24.65,0:17:26.57,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,She is in the centre of the painting,
Dialogue: 0,0:17:26.58,0:17:29.46,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,with the central axis\Npassing between her eyes.
Dialogue: 0,0:17:29.59,0:17:31.58,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Her face is spotlit by light
Dialogue: 0,0:17:31.62,0:17:33.79,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,coming from an unseen window - top right,
Dialogue: 0,0:17:33.83,0:17:37.82,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and her white satin dress glows\Nas she is bathed in the sun.
Dialogue: 0,0:17:38.05,0:17:39.87,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,It is the princess' presence
Dialogue: 0,0:17:39.87,0:17:42.01,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,that makes this a "political painting",
Dialogue: 0,0:17:42.04,0:17:45.66,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,as at the time the Infanta \Nwas the only child of Philipe IV,
Dialogue: 0,0:17:45.73,0:17:49.66,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,with the dynastic succession\Nresting on her tiny shoulders.
Dialogue: 0,0:17:50.13,0:17:52.72,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Showing her as a healthy \Nand beautiful princess
Dialogue: 0,0:17:52.72,0:17:55.84,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,is important for future \Nmarriage prospects.
Dialogue: 0,0:17:56.06,0:17:57.70,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,We don't know the name of the dog,
Dialogue: 0,0:17:57.72,0:17:59.89,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,but we know the breed\Nis a Spanish Mastiff,
Dialogue: 0,0:17:59.89,0:18:02.14,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,which were bred as guard dogs.
Dialogue: 0,0:18:02.21,0:18:06.41,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,There are few artists with such skill\Nin painting animals as Velázquez!
Dialogue: 0,0:18:06.77,0:18:09.75,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,The dog is being nudged awake\Nby Nicolás Pertusato,
Dialogue: 0,0:18:09.77,0:18:12.28,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,an Italian dwarf and court jester.
Dialogue: 0,0:18:12.48,0:18:15.56,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Next to him, is the Austrian dwarf \NMaria Bárbola,
Dialogue: 0,0:18:15.68,0:18:19.82,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,who is depicted in an unusual way\Nfor a person in her position at the time.
Dialogue: 0,0:18:20.08,0:18:22.88,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,People with dwarfism\Nwere considered curiosities,
Dialogue: 0,0:18:22.99,0:18:24.72,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,as little more than "pets",
Dialogue: 0,0:18:24.76,0:18:27.65,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,but Velázquez always \Ngave dignity to characters
Dialogue: 0,0:18:27.69,0:18:30.23,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,who, due to their profession or condition,
Dialogue: 0,0:18:30.23,0:18:32.18,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,were treated as lesser beings.
Dialogue: 0,0:18:32.18,0:18:35.26,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,He shows Maria standing upright,\Nbeside the princess.
Dialogue: 0,0:18:35.42,0:18:37.89,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,She has a thoughtful \Nand controlled expression,
Dialogue: 0,0:18:37.90,0:18:42.19,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and is looking directly at us\N- or the royal couple.
Dialogue: 0,0:18:42.88,0:18:46.14,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Velázquez entered the service \Nof the palace as a royal servant
Dialogue: 0,0:18:46.16,0:18:48.34,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and initially was considered a worker,
Dialogue: 0,0:18:48.34,0:18:50.86,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,just like the dwarves of the court,\Nor the jesters.
Dialogue: 0,0:18:51.08,0:18:55.13,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And so he treated them with an empathy, \Nnot seen before in royal portraits.
Dialogue: 0,0:18:55.71,0:18:58.09,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,He never mocked them or caricatured them,
Dialogue: 0,0:18:58.09,0:19:02.30,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and often made them the focal point, \Nas fully fleshed out humans.
Dialogue: 0,0:19:02.84,0:19:05.82,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,In the shadows, this woman \Nis Doña Marcela de Ulloa,
Dialogue: 0,0:19:05.82,0:19:07.50,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,the Infanta's chaperone,
Dialogue: 0,0:19:07.50,0:19:10.55,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and she is in mid-conversation \Nwith an unidentified bodyguard.
Dialogue: 0,0:19:10.58,0:19:14.84,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,At the rear is Don José Nieto Velázquez,\Nbrother of the artist,
Dialogue: 0,0:19:14.89,0:19:17.01,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and the queen's chamberlain.
Dialogue: 0,0:19:17.01,0:19:19.33,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Velázquez had possibly painted him before.
Dialogue: 0,0:19:19.40,0:19:23.12,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,He has paused at the door, \Npulling back the heavy exterior curtain,
Dialogue: 0,0:19:23.13,0:19:25.09,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,with one foot resting on a step
Dialogue: 0,0:19:25.11,0:19:28.13,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,while his weight is on his other leg\Non a different step.
Dialogue: 0,0:19:28.24,0:19:30.98,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,As the queen's attendant\Nhe was required to be at hand
Dialogue: 0,0:19:30.98,0:19:33.10,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,to open and close doors for her.
Dialogue: 0,0:19:33.17,0:19:35.83,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,We don't know however\Nif he is coming or going,
Dialogue: 0,0:19:35.90,0:19:38.20,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,but the light certainly pulls us in,
Dialogue: 0,0:19:38.27,0:19:40.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and it looks \Nas if he will usher all of us,
Dialogue: 0,0:19:41.02,0:19:44.56,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,out from the created world\Nand into the real world.
Dialogue: 0,0:19:44.74,0:19:47.32,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,In this masterpiece of Illusion,
Dialogue: 0,0:19:47.32,0:19:50.29,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Velázquez clearly goes beyond\Nthe physical confines of space,
Dialogue: 0,0:19:50.31,0:19:52.70,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,by playing with implied spaces,
Dialogue: 0,0:19:52.70,0:19:54.85,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,in this case the rest of the palace.
Dialogue: 0,0:19:55.30,0:19:58.69,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Velázquez himself is pictured \Nemerging from behind the canvas,
Dialogue: 0,0:19:58.75,0:20:02.55,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,moving into our gaze \Nfrom the shadows into the light,
Dialogue: 0,0:20:02.65,0:20:07.89,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,as he looks at us in the implied space\Nlooking at him in the pictorial space.
Dialogue: 0,0:20:08.05,0:20:12.93,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,He is supremely self-confident and \Ncertainly no subservient courtier.
Dialogue: 0,0:20:13.19,0:20:15.77,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,He is proudly holding\Nthe tools of his trade,
Dialogue: 0,0:20:15.77,0:20:18.66,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,his palette is turned towards us\Nshowing its colours.
Dialogue: 0,0:20:18.66,0:20:21.08,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,He also holds a mahlstick,
Dialogue: 0,0:20:21.09,0:20:23.53,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,used for steadying the hand \Nwhen doing close work.
Dialogue: 0,0:20:23.57,0:20:26.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And the long round brushes\Nwe know he used
Dialogue: 0,0:20:26.03,0:20:29.06,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,which created soft edges\Nrather than hard lines.
Dialogue: 0,0:20:29.25,0:20:32.70,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,His brush is dipped in paint\Nand perhaps he is considering
Dialogue: 0,0:20:32.70,0:20:34.85,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,whether to add some finishing touches,
Dialogue: 0,0:20:34.85,0:20:36.28,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,but it is also possible
Dialogue: 0,0:20:36.29,0:20:38.92,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,that the first stroke \Nhas not yet been applied.
Dialogue: 0,0:20:38.96,0:20:41.91,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,His hand is just a flurry \Nof rapid brush strokes
Dialogue: 0,0:20:41.91,0:20:45.79,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and it would appear\Nto be metamorphosing into his brush,
Dialogue: 0,0:20:45.80,0:20:48.66,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,as his flesh becomes instrument.
Dialogue: 0,0:20:48.91,0:20:53.43,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,It is audacious that a servant, \Nalbeit a courtier and royal favourite,
Dialogue: 0,0:20:53.53,0:20:56.90,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,has given himself greater\Nprominence than his master.
Dialogue: 0,0:20:57.05,0:20:59.81,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,But it is also inconceivable
Dialogue: 0,0:20:59.81,0:21:03.96,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,that Philip IV did not give \Nthe concept his blessing in advance.
Dialogue: 0,0:21:04.09,0:21:06.20,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,In the same way \Nthe Queen's Chamberlain
Dialogue: 0,0:21:06.20,0:21:09.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,is opening up the implied space\Nbeyond the picture frame,
Dialogue: 0,0:21:09.00,0:21:12.16,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,the mirror here is reflecting\Nthe opposite direction,
Dialogue: 0,0:21:12.19,0:21:14.54,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,forward into the viewer's space.
Dialogue: 0,0:21:15.02,0:21:18.77,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,The reflection is of king Philip IV\Nand Maria of Austria,
Dialogue: 0,0:21:18.84,0:21:20.62,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,the king and queen.
Dialogue: 0,0:21:20.75,0:21:23.03,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,We know it is a mirror\Nand not a painting,
Dialogue: 0,0:21:23.09,0:21:25.50,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,as everything else is muted and fuzzy,
Dialogue: 0,0:21:25.56,0:21:27.40,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,whereas the image\Nof the King and Queen
Dialogue: 0,0:21:27.40,0:21:29.65,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,is bathed in light in the beveled mirror
Dialogue: 0,0:21:29.71,0:21:32.16,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,giving them an almost divine presence,
Dialogue: 0,0:21:32.28,0:21:34.25,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,that is, if we believe
Dialogue: 0,0:21:34.25,0:21:38.03,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,the king and queen are in the same room\Nas the other characters.
Dialogue: 0,0:21:40.100,0:21:43.09,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,The aforementioned historian, Palamino,
Dialogue: 0,0:21:43.09,0:21:45.68,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,noted that the mirror \Nwhich shows the royal couple,
Dialogue: 0,0:21:45.72,0:21:47.27,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,was actually a reflection,
Dialogue: 0,0:21:47.27,0:21:49.28,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,not of the real monarchs in the room,
Dialogue: 0,0:21:49.28,0:21:51.66,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,but of the canvas\NVelázquez is working on.
Dialogue: 0,0:21:51.76,0:21:54.83,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,In other words, \Nthe couple are not in the room.
Dialogue: 0,0:21:55.34,0:21:59.28,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,This idea is disputed though\Nas the reflection is not logical.
Dialogue: 0,0:21:59.48,0:22:01.38,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,It has to be said though,
Dialogue: 0,0:22:01.39,0:22:04.23,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,this is not the first time \NVelázquez has painted an image
Dialogue: 0,0:22:04.29,0:22:08.19,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,which explores the relationship\Nbetween reality, reflection, and image,
Dialogue: 0,0:22:08.39,0:22:11.15,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and which flouts the laws of Optics.
Dialogue: 0,0:22:11.28,0:22:15.23,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Here too, we see the mirror\Nwith this rather blurred reflection.
Dialogue: 0,0:22:15.83,0:22:19.17,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,The constant speculation\Nas to what is happening in this painting,
Dialogue: 0,0:22:19.22,0:22:20.84,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,who is where, and why,
Dialogue: 0,0:22:20.90,0:22:23.88,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,is absolutely intentional on the part \Nof Velázquez.
Dialogue: 0,0:22:24.59,0:22:27.67,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Whatever the study\Nof perspective or reflection tells us,
Dialogue: 0,0:22:27.73,0:22:30.89,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,the royal presence is still\Nthe most plausible explanation
Dialogue: 0,0:22:30.89,0:22:33.44,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,for the outward glances\Nof the characters,
Dialogue: 0,0:22:33.44,0:22:36.20,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and I think that the king and queen\Nare in the room,
Dialogue: 0,0:22:36.20,0:22:38.62,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and the mirror is a reflection of them
Dialogue: 0,0:22:38.63,0:22:41.64,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,at the far end of the room,\Nsitting for Velázquez.
Dialogue: 0,0:22:41.81,0:22:45.55,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,The fact that the queen's chamberlain\Nis opening the curtain to the Palace,
Dialogue: 0,0:22:45.58,0:22:48.31,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,suggests that the royal couple\Nare preparing to exit.
Dialogue: 0,0:22:48.36,0:22:51.67,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,This would also explained \Nthe infanta's gaze towards her parents.
Dialogue: 0,0:22:52.15,0:22:54.14,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Velázquez, who seems to be peeping
Dialogue: 0,0:22:54.15,0:22:56.94,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,out of the darkness\Nrealizing his time is up,
Dialogue: 0,0:22:56.99,0:22:59.64,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and the "Menina"\Nto the right of the Infanta,
Dialogue: 0,0:22:59.64,0:23:02.56,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,who is beginning to curtsy,\Nas she looks towards the couple.
Dialogue: 0,0:23:02.98,0:23:06.04,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,There is a palpable sense\Nof anticipation in the air.
Dialogue: 0,0:23:06.32,0:23:09.36,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,If the king and queen are there\N— and I think they are —
Dialogue: 0,0:23:09.42,0:23:12.43,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,then Velázquez \Nhas one more trick up his sleeve.
Dialogue: 0,0:23:12.52,0:23:16.07,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,He has placed the king and queen\Noutside of the pictorial space,
Dialogue: 0,0:23:16.24,0:23:19.84,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,standing exactly where we,\Nthe commoners, would stand,
Dialogue: 0,0:23:19.90,0:23:21.72,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,when we view the paintings.
Dialogue: 0,0:23:21.81,0:23:25.36,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,We are standing right next\Nto king Philipe IV of Spain!
Dialogue: 0,0:23:29.24,0:23:31.57,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,With this painting, Velázquez \Nwas out to prove
Dialogue: 0,0:23:31.57,0:23:34.36,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,that painting \Nwas a noble, intellectual art,
Dialogue: 0,0:23:34.40,0:23:36.86,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and "Las Meninas" would be evidence.
Dialogue: 0,0:23:36.97,0:23:40.98,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,It is in fact, a portrait \Nabout the painting of a portrait.
Dialogue: 0,0:23:41.33,0:23:43.78,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Let's start with the physicality \Nof the space.
Dialogue: 0,0:23:43.85,0:23:47.10,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,The building \Nwas destroyed by fire in 1734,
Dialogue: 0,0:23:47.10,0:23:49.38,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,but the historical plan still exists.
Dialogue: 0,0:23:49.54,0:23:52.63,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,"Las Meninas" was painted \Nin the "Cuarto del Príncipe",
Dialogue: 0,0:23:52.66,0:23:55.92,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,or the king's quarters, \Nin the Alcázar in Madrid,
Dialogue: 0,0:23:56.26,0:23:58.36,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,which is the room depicted in the work.
Dialogue: 0,0:23:58.68,0:24:00.78,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,It was once part of the apartment
Dialogue: 0,0:24:00.78,0:24:03.80,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,occupied by the crown prince \NDon Baltasar Carlos,
Dialogue: 0,0:24:03.83,0:24:06.05,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,who had died in 1646.
Dialogue: 0,0:24:06.27,0:24:08.16,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Once the painting was finished
Dialogue: 0,0:24:08.16,0:24:10.59,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,it was planned to be placed\Nin that same room.
Dialogue: 0,0:24:10.84,0:24:12.63,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,An inventory of the room proved
Dialogue: 0,0:24:12.66,0:24:15.25,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,that everything Velázquez painted, \Nwas really there
Dialogue: 0,0:24:15.25,0:24:17.34,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,(apart from the mirror in the back).
Dialogue: 0,0:24:17.42,0:24:20.42,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,The illusion starts \Nwith the almost life-size figures.
Dialogue: 0,0:24:20.54,0:24:24.78,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,The painting is enormous, \Ncoming in at over 10 feet by 9 feet.
Dialogue: 0,0:24:25.19,0:24:27.61,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,The room had \Nthese wonderful high ceilings,
Dialogue: 0,0:24:27.65,0:24:30.04,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and the shutters\Nhave been placed by Velázquez
Dialogue: 0,0:24:30.06,0:24:33.48,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,to reveal slivers of light \Nexactly where he wants it.
Dialogue: 0,0:24:33.63,0:24:36.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,The main light source \Nis from an invisible window to the right
Dialogue: 0,0:24:37.04,0:24:39.11,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and another source is the door at the back
Dialogue: 0,0:24:39.11,0:24:40.83,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,that illuminates the figure
Dialogue: 0,0:24:40.83,0:24:43.86,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and sends a pencil thin beam\Nacross the floor.
Dialogue: 0,0:24:44.15,0:24:46.73,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,While "Las Meninas"\Nis clearly a royal painting,
Dialogue: 0,0:24:46.76,0:24:49.54,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,it stands out from \Nother court paintings,
Dialogue: 0,0:24:49.55,0:24:52.68,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,because the piece was intended\Nto hang in a private room
Dialogue: 0,0:24:52.69,0:24:54.82,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,rather than displayed publicly.
Dialogue: 0,0:24:54.86,0:24:56.79,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,It may look formal to us nowadays,
Dialogue: 0,0:24:56.79,0:24:59.18,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,but compared to other royal portraits,
Dialogue: 0,0:24:59.18,0:25:03.23,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,"Las Meninas" is fairly spontaneous, \Ncasual, and relaxed.
Dialogue: 0,0:25:03.23,0:25:05.18,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,There is a lot in this painting;
Dialogue: 0,0:25:05.22,0:25:08.67,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,people, animals, reflections, \Npaintings on the walls
Dialogue: 0,0:25:08.68,0:25:11.40,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,textures, other objects, and movement
Dialogue: 0,0:25:11.51,0:25:14.21,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,- and yet, there is a cohesion\Nto the canvas,
Dialogue: 0,0:25:14.21,0:25:17.30,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,because it is organized\Nin an orderly composition.
Dialogue: 0,0:25:17.61,0:25:19.35,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,It is balanced perfectly
Dialogue: 0,0:25:19.35,0:25:23.31,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,with the relatively quiet top half\Nagainst the busy bottom half.
Dialogue: 0,0:25:23.52,0:25:27.29,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,The figures occupy a clear \Nhorizontal strip across the painting,
Dialogue: 0,0:25:27.46,0:25:29.28,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,but it isn't frieze-like,
Dialogue: 0,0:25:29.28,0:25:31.85,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,as they are at different depths\Ninto the view.
Dialogue: 0,0:25:31.91,0:25:34.89,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,The first layer is the canvas, \Nthe dwarf, and the dog.
Dialogue: 0,0:25:35.66,0:25:38.06,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Then we have the infanta and her maids.
Dialogue: 0,0:25:38.100,0:25:42.29,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And then Velázquez, \Nthe chaperone and the bodyguard.
Dialogue: 0,0:25:42.36,0:25:44.89,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,The layering continues\Nthroughout the picture,
Dialogue: 0,0:25:44.93,0:25:47.41,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and beyond the picture frame.
Dialogue: 0,0:25:48.19,0:25:50.19,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,The painting features several frames;
Dialogue: 0,0:25:50.19,0:25:52.84,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,the frame of the room\Nin which they are all standing,
Dialogue: 0,0:25:52.90,0:25:55.07,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,the frames of the paintings on the wall,
Dialogue: 0,0:25:55.07,0:25:57.70,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,the frame of the canvas \NVelázquez is working on,
Dialogue: 0,0:25:57.87,0:25:59.28,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,the frame of the mirror,
Dialogue: 0,0:25:59.28,0:26:01.77,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and the frame of the door\Nin the background.
Dialogue: 0,0:26:01.82,0:26:05.65,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,These frames provide a strong linear\Nand geometric theme to the painting.
Dialogue: 0,0:26:05.86,0:26:08.93,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,You get a feel of structure\Nand organization.
Dialogue: 0,0:26:09.06,0:26:13.20,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,But a perfect perspective is not essential\Nto our understanding of this painting,
Dialogue: 0,0:26:13.43,0:26:16.49,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,any more than a perfect \Nunderstanding of Optics.
Dialogue: 0,0:26:16.83,0:26:18.32,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,What is the focal point?
Dialogue: 0,0:26:18.43,0:26:20.32,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Well, there are several possibilities.
Dialogue: 0,0:26:20.43,0:26:22.44,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Just look at the picture as a whole,
Dialogue: 0,0:26:22.46,0:26:25.03,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and you notice your eye \Nscans around the canvas,
Dialogue: 0,0:26:25.04,0:26:27.68,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,as it would do in any large space.
Dialogue: 0,0:26:27.90,0:26:30.38,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,We ricochet from one figure to another.
Dialogue: 0,0:26:31.34,0:26:33.90,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Possible focus points are the man in the \Ndoorway,
Dialogue: 0,0:26:33.90,0:26:36.84,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,the Infanta, or the reflection\Nof the king and queen.
Dialogue: 0,0:26:36.94,0:26:38.59,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,It seems at first glance
Dialogue: 0,0:26:38.59,0:26:42.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,that Velázquez is drawing \Nall our attention to the infanta,
Dialogue: 0,0:26:42.05,0:26:45.01,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and he has used some clever \Nand subtle techniques
Dialogue: 0,0:26:45.03,0:26:47.89,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,to draw attention to her\Nin such a busy scene.
Dialogue: 0,0:26:47.96,0:26:49.64,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,There is the dress of course,
Dialogue: 0,0:26:49.64,0:26:52.01,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,but also she faces towards\Nthe main light source
Dialogue: 0,0:26:52.04,0:26:53.39,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,coming from the right,
Dialogue: 0,0:26:53.43,0:26:56.61,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,while most of the other figures\Nare facing away from the light.
Dialogue: 0,0:26:57.03,0:26:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Maria Agustina \Nis looking directly at her,
Dialogue: 0,0:27:00.01,0:27:03.68,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and the characters to the left \Nnudge us towards the infanta.
Dialogue: 0,0:27:03.97,0:27:07.45,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,We do know that this painting \Nwas not intended to be on public view
Dialogue: 0,0:27:07.47,0:27:10.36,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and was really considered\Na private possession of the king
Dialogue: 0,0:27:10.39,0:27:12.73,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,- for an audience of one,
Dialogue: 0,0:27:12.74,0:27:16.27,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,which would suggest the focal point\Nis the reflection of the king.
Dialogue: 0,0:27:17.02,0:27:20.44,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,The focus is still highly debated \Nand always will be.
Dialogue: 0,0:27:20.46,0:27:22.42,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,But the vanishing point is not.
Dialogue: 0,0:27:22.63,0:27:26.45,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,It comes from José Nieto,\Nas he stands in the staircase,
Dialogue: 0,0:27:26.86,0:27:31.40,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,more specifically the crook of his arm\Nis the exact vanishing point.
Dialogue: 0,0:27:31.88,0:27:35.34,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,This is the key to Velázquez's\Nmastery of Illusion.
Dialogue: 0,0:27:35.40,0:27:37.61,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,He uses realism, light, and structure
Dialogue: 0,0:27:37.61,0:27:40.13,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,to pull together the disparate elements
Dialogue: 0,0:27:40.13,0:27:42.58,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,in an exquisitely balanced painting.
Dialogue: 0,0:27:43.19,0:27:45.24,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,It is an image so complex,
Dialogue: 0,0:27:45.30,0:27:48.74,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,that he could only have achieved it\Nat this later stage of his life,
Dialogue: 0,0:27:48.77,0:27:50.46,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,with the extensive knowledge
Dialogue: 0,0:27:50.46,0:27:53.37,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,he has picked up \Nfrom a lifetime of painting.
Dialogue: 0,0:27:56.21,0:27:59.55,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,The two paintings on the back wall\Nare important symbolically,
Dialogue: 0,0:27:59.55,0:28:03.75,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and represent two oil paintings\Nby Rubens, Velázquez's role model
Dialogue: 0,0:28:03.75,0:28:06.90,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and show scenes \Nfrom Ovid's "Metamorphoses".
Dialogue: 0,0:28:06.92,0:28:08.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,There is a good reason they are there,
Dialogue: 0,0:28:09.02,0:28:11.63,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,if we remember that Velázquez\Nwants desperately
Dialogue: 0,0:28:11.63,0:28:15.44,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,to raise his profession\Nfrom "tradesmen" to "artistic nobility".
Dialogue: 0,0:28:15.50,0:28:18.84,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,They tell the tale of the superiority, \Nthe nobility,
Dialogue: 0,0:28:18.87,0:28:21.27,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and the divine calling of the artist.
Dialogue: 0,0:28:21.29,0:28:25.40,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,In which mortals prove themselves\Nmore skilled than even the gods.
Dialogue: 0,0:28:25.67,0:28:29.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Rubens was the most influential\NFlemish artist of the 17th century,
Dialogue: 0,0:28:30.01,0:28:32.35,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,so by linking himself with Rubens,
Dialogue: 0,0:28:32.37,0:28:36.76,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Velázquez is showing that he had reached\Nthe highest tier in European art.
Dialogue: 0,0:28:39.84,0:28:42.58,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,One of the great enigmas\Nin the portrait of Velázquez,
Dialogue: 0,0:28:42.59,0:28:44.35,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,is the red cross on his tunic.
Dialogue: 0,0:28:45.13,0:28:48.26,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,It is the heraldic symbol \Nof the order of Santiago,
Dialogue: 0,0:28:48.31,0:28:51.72,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,a religious and military order, \Nfounded in the 12th century.
Dialogue: 0,0:28:51.91,0:28:53.49,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,He had petitioned the king
Dialogue: 0,0:28:53.49,0:28:56.07,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,to make him\Na knight of Santiago for years,
Dialogue: 0,0:28:56.08,0:28:57.97,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,to secure a noble status,
Dialogue: 0,0:28:57.98,0:29:02.01,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,citing the link between artistic nobility\Nand social nobility.
Dialogue: 0,0:29:02.44,0:29:05.41,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,But the committee of the order \Nof Santiago refused
Dialogue: 0,0:29:05.48,0:29:07.39,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,- due to his bloodline.
Dialogue: 0,0:29:07.46,0:29:10.93,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,It was rumoured that his grandparents\Nwere Jewish converts.
Dialogue: 0,0:29:10.94,0:29:12.50,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Luckily for Velázquez,
Dialogue: 0,0:29:12.50,0:29:14.54,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,as well as being employer and employee,
Dialogue: 0,0:29:14.54,0:29:16.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,he and Philip IV were close friends,
Dialogue: 0,0:29:17.02,0:29:20.84,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and he was finally inducted \Nin the order in 1659,
Dialogue: 0,0:29:20.92,0:29:22.92,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,a year before his death,
Dialogue: 0,0:29:22.92,0:29:26.02,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,after the King obtained \Na dispensation from the Pope
Dialogue: 0,0:29:26.02,0:29:29.66,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,to overrule doubts\Nas to the artist's blood and trade.
Dialogue: 0,0:29:29.83,0:29:33.10,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Diego Velázquez,\Nin many ways was unremarkable,
Dialogue: 0,0:29:33.10,0:29:36.16,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,apart from the fact\Nhe was appointed court painter.
Dialogue: 0,0:29:36.35,0:29:39.08,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,He had one wife, one friend (the king),
Dialogue: 0,0:29:39.14,0:29:41.46,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and one studio (the palace),
Dialogue: 0,0:29:41.89,0:29:45.01,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and spent his whole life\Nclimbing the social ladder.
Dialogue: 0,0:29:45.20,0:29:47.63,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,His knighthood is the culmination.
Dialogue: 0,0:29:48.12,0:29:50.93,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,What makes this cross\Nin the painting interesting,
Dialogue: 0,0:29:50.96,0:29:52.20,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,is that he was knighted
Dialogue: 0,0:29:52.20,0:29:55.44,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,a full 3 years after \N"Las Meninas" was finished,
Dialogue: 0,0:29:55.46,0:29:57.64,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and a year before he died,
Dialogue: 0,0:29:57.64,0:30:00.71,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,which means that the cross\Nwas painted on the artist's tunic
Dialogue: 0,0:30:00.71,0:30:03.45,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,years after the painting was created.
Dialogue: 0,0:30:03.77,0:30:06.60,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Tradition had it, \Nthat after the artist's death,
Dialogue: 0,0:30:06.65,0:30:11.17,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Philipe IV himself painted the red cross\Nof the Knights of Santiago on the tunic,
Dialogue: 0,0:30:11.17,0:30:13.16,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,but that's unlikely.
Dialogue: 0,0:30:13.21,0:30:16.18,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,After the painting was cleaned\Nin the early 1980s
Dialogue: 0,0:30:16.18,0:30:18.77,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,it was revealed\Nthat the brush work of the cross
Dialogue: 0,0:30:18.77,0:30:21.41,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,is uniform with the rest of the surface,
Dialogue: 0,0:30:21.45,0:30:24.63,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,so it was almost certainly Velázquez \Nwho painted the cross.
Dialogue: 0,0:30:25.11,0:30:27.93,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,We can only imagine\Nthe immense satisfaction
Dialogue: 0,0:30:27.94,0:30:30.87,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,the artist got from adding \Nthe cross to the painting,
Dialogue: 0,0:30:30.88,0:30:33.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and therefore rubbing\Nthe snobby courtier's noses
Dialogue: 0,0:30:33.99,0:30:36.58,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,in the fact that he was now one of them.
Dialogue: 0,0:30:37.24,0:30:40.36,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Velázquez, who was in essence, \Nborn a trade's person,
Dialogue: 0,0:30:40.39,0:30:42.49,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,died a wealthy noble.
Dialogue: 0,0:30:42.72,0:30:45.88,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,On his death it is said\Nthat the king was heartbroken,
Dialogue: 0,0:30:45.88,0:30:48.64,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and the great friendship\Nthat had united them
Dialogue: 0,0:30:48.66,0:30:51.61,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,is evident in three words\Nthat the monarch wrote
Dialogue: 0,0:30:51.65,0:30:54.12,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,in a memorandum after his death:
Dialogue: 0,0:30:54.38,0:30:56.26,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,"I am shaken".
Dialogue: 0,0:30:57.80,0:30:59.92,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Transcript by Margarida Mariz