Venus’ Mirror: An Image of Baroque Art

The Baroque period was iodin of the nearly deep periods in European history. It consisted of globey changes in the continent such as the development of M inventionin Luthers reformation, which was the birth of Protestantism. It was also a time when feudalism was diminishing, leading the way to a government based on a single authority. In Spain, the best Baroque artist was Diego Velasquez.He was born in June 6, 1599 in Seville and died in August 6, 1660 because of fever. He was an apprentice of Francisco Pacheco, who was a historied disciple of Flemish and Italian realism which greatly influenced his works.In 1623, he went to Madrid, where he particolored a portrait of King Philip IV. Afterwards, he was appointed as the official painter of the royal family for six years. Aside from religious exposures, he also painted works with mythological themes. Velasquez was a true churrigueresque artist. This period of art was used by the Roman Catholic church as a way to counteract the spreading Protestantism. In Velasquezs works, he served that purpose with his bodegones which focused on subjects that are found in everyday life and combined with religious scenes.He often used the deal of Seville as models for his bodegones. The create genus Venus at her Mirror is one of the most famous paintings done by Diego Velasquez. Although baroque style originated from the Roman Catholic Church, it also gained attention from the secular side of the society hence, the mythological theme. Venus at her Mirror portrays qualities that are found in baroque paintings depicting power, massiveness, and dramatic intensity. It is an image with high contrasts of light and dark colors.The painting shows Cupid without his hunker down and arrows and holds a mirror in front of Venus. What is interesting about this painting is that it does not clearly follow principles of optics as Venus reflection in the mirror seems blurring. This irregularity is one of the main characteristics of ba roque art, where the very banter itself means irregular. It is the very same mirror which catches my attention because it does not reflect the exact details of Venus face. What the artist is expressing in this painting is that what is seen is not Venus face but her image.Its baroque influence tells us that Venus is the goddess of beauty, and the beauty is unsurpassable that Cupid himself surrendered to it, laying down his bow and arrows. It is an take-off of beauty portraying dramatic intensity. This painting shows the beautiful body of Venus. However, Velasquez painted it in such as way that the observers eye are led towards the mirror and not on the body. Thus, the painting is a reflection of realism. What we see in the mirror is only an image of a beautiful woman, but not Venus herself.In the human context, we observe that what man sees beginning is the image of a person and not the person himself. This reminds me of the first day of school of every school year, where students start to introduce themselves to one another. As the days pass, students would group themselves according to their image, creating a status quo. This labeling of peck according to their general image prevents us from expressing our true selves and our values. Let us take note that in the painting, the mirror shows only an image of a beautiful woman.Will never know how beautiful Venus really was in the painting. The fact that her beauty is incomparable perchance makes us look at it in another way. It may also be an indication that perhaps the real beauty is the one behind the image. References Diego Velazquez Biography, (n. d. ). Retrieved may 6, 2010 from http//www. spanish- fiestas. com/art/spanish-artists-velazquez. htm. Fitzpatrick, A. , (1978). The Baroque Period, Minnesota Creative Education, p. 7-12. Velazquez Venus at Her Mirror, (2009). Retrieved May 6, 2010 from http//www. paintingall. com/articles/velazquez-venus-a