Velazquez and The Surrender of Breda (Anthony Bailey, 2011)

There's just something about these newspaper and magazine writers that turn to writing books - they aren't as good at it.  Not sure how to explain, it's like they try too hard.

This was interesting, but not as much as I would have expected based on the review I had seen.  Part of the problem is that Velazquez - for all his talent and wide recognition - didn't leave much behind in terms of primary sources.  The author has quite a bit of information about what Velazquez was doing at different points in his life, but cannot really bring the biography to life because he is just guessing so much of the time.

Useful ideas:

1.  Helps connect ideas about a wealthy Spain - less than a century after Columbus showed up in the Americas - with ~20 years less since the days of Martin Luther - struggling to keep control of Protestant Netherlands.  Charles V gives up, replaced by Philip II.  Bloody, unnecessary, protracted struggle.  Gave rise to the titular picture.

2.  Velazquez talent identified early; he advances to court in Madrid and is favored with royal commissions thereafter.  Loved to travel to Italy.  Took on lots of administrative tasks.  Reminded me of the stories of Bach as more or less an employee, or of Goethe taking on governing tasks in Weimar. The idea of the artist as romantic/independent/superior hadn't arrived.

3.  The famous Las Meninas - pictures in pictures.  Parents visible in mirror, watching the scene being painted by the artist . . . who is watching them . . . etc.

4.  Spain continuing to hurt itself with expulsions of Jews and "Moors".  Closed, insular, Church-dominated.

5.  Velazquez not dominant in commercial art market because his works simply don't come to market.  But considered to be highly favored.  Proust has the Duc de Guermantes buying a painting that he hopes is a Valazquez; Swann doesn't support this.

Las Meninas