Velázquez+and+Philip+the+fourth's+family

Last December I went to see the exhibition entitled Velázquez and the Family of Philip IV in El Prado museum. The images of Philip IV, his wife and children, and especially the portraits of the infantas fill the rooms. Fortunately, without any glass protecting them so our eyes can appreciate all the brushstrokes. You can not stop thinking about Las Meninas while you are seeing how many copies and versions of Las Infantas portraits were painted in that court. They were done with a practical purpose, to send them to different European courts so Las infantas could be known by their would-be fiances In the exhibition we could see Velazquez´s portraits and on the opposite wall the same paintings by Carreño or Martínez del Mazo and enjoy ourselves comparing them; so we can appreciate why Velazquez is a genius : the same models, the same clothes and curtains, the same palace, … but Velazquez brushstrokes leave a more vivid impression, a bigger sense of depth, so we can even feel the atmosphere enveloping his models… Watching these paintings, we can understand the importance of this family in Spanish history, feel as witnesses of that dynasty’s decline, and of course, enjoy Velazquez´s masterpieces. (Clara Sánchez)