Analysis Of Las Meninass

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Art Appraising Essay

Appropriation has been practiced for centuries to create a similar image but with a different meaning. When artworks are appropriated with respect, it is called homage, meaning reverence paid or rendered to an artwork. The famous art work Las Meninas painted by Diego Velázquez in 1656, has been appropriated by several artists. Artists which have paid homage to Diego Velázquez’s artwork are Joel-Peter Witkin and Equipo Crónica. This essay will discuss how Witkin and Crónica appropriated Las Meninas by creating individual artworks and how elements from the original work were placed into theirs.
The oil painting Las Meninas painted by Spanish artist Diego Velázquez, with measurements of 318 x 276cm, has been appropriated dozens of times throughout the centuries. The realistic self-portrait’s complex and enigmatic composition raises questions about illusions and reality, and creates an uncertain relationship between the figures depicted and the viewer. The various planes are indicated by perspective, the interplay of light and dark, and a clever use of colors. The elusiveness of Las Meninas, according to the art historian Dawson Carr, "suggests that art, and life, are an illusion". The relationship between illusion and reality were main concerns in Spanish culture during the 17th century. The self-portrait shows a large room in the Royal Alcazar of Madrid during the reign of King Philip IV of Spain, and several figures from the Spanish court. The young Infanta Margaret Theresa is surrounded by her entourage of maids, chaperone, bodyguard, two dwarfs and a dog. Just behind them, Velázquez portrays himself working at a large canvas and in the reflection of the mirror are the king and queen. The two artists which ha...

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...of the old symbols but also reinterprets the tradition.
Crónica is a Mexican artist that has successfully appropriated Las Meninas.

Witkin and Crónica are great examples on how it is acceptable to respectfully appropriate artworks. There are really no new forms, figures, or compositions that artists haven’t already created, and artists have always recycled imagery from previous art to create a new artwork but with a different meaning. Appropriation can be practiced respectfully without it being forgery or a hoax. It is acceptable to create your own work by taking elements from other artists and adding it into yours. The complexities, the various planes indicated by perspective, the interplay of light and dark, and a clever use of colours have been a contribution to this extraordinary painting by Velázquez which has inspired millions around the world for centuries.

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