Tapestry Weavers

Ladies in grand clothing stand while a single figure, wearing a helmet, raises her arm in the alcove. The ladies in the tapestry room work on the newest one to be made. Their faces glowing with the hard physical work. The spinning wheel moves at the will of the elderly lady. The lady on the very left holds the red drapery up to let in the light. The light shines through the windows in the alcove and weaving room. The light bounces off the figures and the tapestry of the divine. This masterpiece, completed by Diego Velázquez, can only be work of the Baroque art period. With the dramatic light contrasts and the movement of the figures within the painting, he paints a brilliant scene of culture. The Tapestry Weavers perfectly represents the Baroque

It was a time filled with reformations, scientific advancements, and cultural advancements. Velázquez’s composition showcased the expression of movement highly praised by the Baroque art period. High Baroque consisted of dynamic compositions that evoked emotions from the audience (Triadó 64). The appearance of the Counter-Reformation led the Roman Catholic Church to utilize artistic propaganda that conjured emotions and appealed in a sensual way. In order to stimulate these feelings from the viewers, Baroque artists made use of compositions that made figures of their paintings looks as if they were moving. Artists also incorporated mythology into many of their artworks as “Well known stories or figures from history and mythology had a wider appeal” (Triadó 63). Many Baroque paintings incorporated elements of mythology to indirectly correlate with the belief of the Catholic Church to express that a greater power above humans

Velázquez incorporates these elements of Baroque art into this masterpiece. The alternate title of this piece, The Fable of Arachne, indicates the mythological subject matter within: “...the literary core of Velázquez’s… Las Hilanderas is Ovid’s famously self-reflexive fable about the contest between the low-born weaver Arachne and the goddess Minerva [Athena]” (Velázquez and the Unfinished Story of Arachne). The fable depicts a human challenging a divine being, which represents the rise of the middle class that occurred during the Baroque era. The background of the painting shows the tapestry that Arachne wove, The Rape of Europa, which is a painting itself by Titian. It illustrates the love affairs of Zeus and shows Arachne’s disrespect for the divine beings. The tale ends with Athena overpowering Arachne paralleling the beliefs of the Catholic Church. Velazquez’s mythological subject matter encourages his composition. He depicts two scenes and “divides his composition into two distinctly separate realms, a separation made clear by both space, the elevation of the background scene, and differences in light and brushstrokes” ("Las Hilanderas"). Velázquez forms two different planes to grasp the audience and draw them in, creating a feeling that the viewers are included as figures of the painting. The foreground showcases