Diego Velazquez - National Gallery Documentary

N.B: There is a factual inaccuracy in this documentary - Ovid was actually a Roman poet, not a Greek one.
This is a video on the Spanish painter Diego Velazquez, and his brilliant art. All rights are reserved to The National Gallery, London, and I believe that this is fair use, as it is no longer for sale at the gallery (as far as I know, and the website has listed the DVD as 'out of stock' for a very long time), the art is in the public domain, and I am uploading it for an educational purpose. If anyone objects to it being here, just whip off a message to me, and I will take it down straight away, no contest.

[@gonebymidnight2881]

Many painters are masters of light, composition and color. Velazquez not only excels at technique but he’s also able to paint the soul and psyche of people in a very honest, unique and powerful way. Very few photographers are able to portray emotions at this level with a camera. It’s just mesmerising.

[@geezerdombroadcast]

Diego Was amazing. Less was more, and without pre-sketching. "Uncanny". Even though I am a man of modest means, I have managed to see many of the greatest works of history in my travels about the world. 62 years of adventure, and counting. There are some incredible museums out there. Get busy, there's a lot to see. You don't have to be rich to have adventure, just imaginative, resourceful, and passionate about life and history. Stay in hostels, cook your own food, and live like a billionaire. It's all in your perspective.

[@heberfenderful]

wise words

[@sevincxuduyeva6028]

Heloo

[@WhereIsMyLipstick]

Lovely documentary. Velázquez is one of my favorite artists, he was a genius and that's why he still remains relevant today.

[@sundayaito2230]

Velasquez, one of the greatest painters to have ever painted.

[@Django44]

THIS is how to produce and present an educational video. Congratulations for a 5-star job everyone.

[@alarikgreenland]

Quite agreed. I've got tingles over it

[@simonedevlin7710]

Velásquez's masterpiece is clearly "Las Meninas" the portrait of "La Infanta Maria Theresa". I had the privilege of seeing it in person as a young teenager. It is far more impressive than in this video.The brush strokes, color and light make you understand the nature of the subject far better than a photograph. Portaiture has become a lost art and needs a revival ! The public needs to see it as the most difficult of art forms to depict a subject's character.Genius of the Velásquez sort is very hard to come by.Thank you for the professional curator narration.

[@angelicakemmish8868]

He is one of the Greatest if not the greatest. Period.

[@susanamalnati9712]

Thank you for this wonderful Velazquez biography and triunfante life as a painter. Incredible work of educational material that you presented here is a privilege to have it condensed on this UTUBE . We , the audience , are privilege to be able to watch it from our homes!!! Thank you.

[@elizabethdarley8646]

Thank you for this lovely doc. I like the tone of voice and the slower tempo of the presenter/writer. Beautifully made product.

[@angeladallimore8079]

Beautiful. Thoroughly enjoyed watching this. Magnificent work

[@brianneale2006]

a lovely voice speaks very plainly and very interesting to listen to and a very good commentary good spanish speaker too

[@stevenp.6062]

Just wonderful . Velasquez will always be the greatest of all painters . And then Titian.

[@kathleenlairscey5934]

Somehow this painting of the little bridesmaid has stuck with me since childhood, the clothes were so oo fancy, I never realized how large it was.

[@johndorilag4129]

Diego Velasquez without doubt was the greatest painter ever

[@betelgeuse1421]

Not the greatest but one of the greatest please.

[@mocotroco5]

@@betelgeuse1421 the greatest

[@MrDelvoye]

one of

[@sundayaito4366]

@Claudius , it's okay if it is said Velasquez is the greatest painter ever because judgements like these are subjective...

[@SampyKhe]

@@sundayaito4366 Velázquez... with Z

[@melanieohara6941]

Watching from Wyoming-Thank You!😷

[@user-pl6wk3wg6d]

Top marks with the 'honour of merit' for the "best" video ever to be presented by KZbin on artists. There was so much intense interpretation and evaluation of the artist's technique and of him as possibly the foremost "Portrait artist" (apart from Rembrandt) of the old masters. It's amazing that he had the boldness to overcome the restrictions of the somewhat "deformed" Hapsburg king Philip 1V and did not follow the same rigid approach to portraiture of other flatteres in portraiture that went before him. How he 'got away' with portraying Pope Pius X as the most devious, conniving and despotic figure is inconceivable---no wonder Francis Bacon chose that one portrait as his main subject matter for ridicule!!!

[@CarlWinter-oy8uf]

JUAN DE PAREJA ---a portrait that is simply breathtaking ---my favourite oil by the master ---

[@NYRanimaciones]

what a beautiful voice she has

[@pramodbabu007]

Thank you This is the best documentary I have heard of Velazquez.. your voice decored the great painter💚

[@firstchoice7761]

This was very well done. I enjoyed every second. Thank you.

[@MrDXRamirez]

Great bibliography of a great artist...the narration was perfect in form and content.

[@osvaldoperezoso]

Velazquez is an AWESOME PAINTER! One of the best! salutations from, USA!

[@robert111k]

Velázquez.

[@osvaldoperezoso]

robert111k who cares, "R"obert

[@robert111k]

Anyone with a little respect and education, Axelei Moranov

[@robert111k]

Boh.

[@ross6753]

I'm not surprised don Diego didn't see Rubens as an enemy. In fact, nobody ever could stop themselves from loving Peter Paul, from kings to paupers, nobody could resist his irresistible charm. But it also says something about Velasquez, to feel secure enough and honest enough to meet great genius and not feel threatened by it. Because he was great himself, as great as anybody can possibly be.

[@CarlWinter-oy8uf]

Velasquez painted his manservant magnificently ---no contemporary artist comes near to this skilful portrait

[@robertmather6152]

Thank you for this very educational and well presented video.

[@planktoncorpus8051]

Amazing documentary!! Amazing information. Thank you for providing this !!!!!

[@jefffriedberg]

Very good, Leah. I liked it a lot :)

[@SpottedBullet]

I'm a fan of Velazquez but Rubens was just amazing, the contrast in his paintings was extraordinary. Of course there are so many amazing old masters, van Eyck, Rembrandt and Renoir.

[@johndorilag4129]

Rembrandt is a joke

[@randalllake2785]

So very well done. Thank you.

[@philbrown6787]

No accident who Carolus-Duran and JS Sargent were influenced by.Excellent documentary

[@georgeanthony7282]

Especially Sargent, who also surpassed his "master" (Duran), as Velazques did with Pacheco.

[@victorvelasquez809]

Amazing documentary

[@LockportDan]

Recently (November 2023) in London where I went to the National Gallery hoping to catch a Wednesday Noon Lecture. No one in the book/gift shop knew anything about lunchtime lectures or even where they might be held. Would be a good idea to tell those in the book shop about your lectures. Very disappointed but had an enjoyable visit nonetheless.

[@julietai7465]

Thank you!

[@sabrinanascimento5248]

My favorite painting.

[@xyzllii]

Excellent. Thanks,

[@michaeljohnangel6359]

Art historians make me crazy!!! The ineptly painted biblical scene was added later by a different painter, at the behest of an overly religious owner. On style alone, this is obviously NOT by Velázquez. A similar situation can be seen in Velázquez's "The Kitchen Maid." There are two versions: one in the National Gallery of Ireland, and the other in the Art Institute of Chicago. The Chicago one shows the painting without the even more ineptly painted addition of a biblical scene, that was added later to the Irish version. All three paintings were painted during an early phase of Velázquez's career, when he was painting (non-religious) everyday genre scenes.

[@ondinef775]

é interessante disponibilizar a legenda na configuração, nao é possivel?

[@mmmcallateeepelas]

Can anyone tell me the name of the guitar piece at the end?

[@nicolastockar]

thank you

[@user-le3lg4qq9d]

Thank you

[@valdengraveart]

A true master painter

[@ovh992]

"Los Borachos" does not mean "the drinkers" but rather "The drunks". Looking at the painting one can tell the painting is about inebriated men, not about thirsty men drinking water.

[@georgeanthony7282]

Great point!

[@sofalofa9541]

i need to write an essay about this dude.

[@georgemohr7532]

Excellent!

[@mteresavaldes2251]

Pure genius

[@rodrigolobo8471]

MAESTRO!

[@ritabiro5105]

Velasqueze was indeed one of the best painter of Spanishe royal courts.

[@juanvelez8564]

I think that "The Feast of Bacchus" shows the god in a way that is similar to Caravaggio's youthful debauched Bacchus---not identical, but rather similar. Could he have seen it or a copy?

[@janskeet1382]

Yes! A bit late to the party but I saw it as well.

[@XiscoBernalTortosa]

Excuse me. Not "different levels of reality" in " Las Hilanderas" (39'). Simply the reality. But not only the reality of picture : the whole reality of picture and you, the viewer. Not a 3D composition, but an absolute 4D in that you - the viewer - are inside.

[@katrinkasanfranciscobayare7364]

And how do we know that the mirror on the back wall?

[@kiljoy3254]

Ovid was a Roman poet but still this is rather good.

[@franciscojaviergonzalezgar8679]

I could say just one near to him... Sorolla.

[@m.e.5313]

Sorolla cant finish pictures. Hes far outclassed in that comparison. As prolific as he was.

[@franciscojaviergonzalezgar8679]

@@m.e.5313 OWWWWWWWWW Bravo tiger, you've just demonstrated your knowledge on painting: "Sorolla can't finish paintings"... Bravo. 1.- Just for your information (lol)... He was an impresionist. 2.- I advice you take a look of Sorolla Museum in Madrid: you will see there a lot of "finished" paintings for your enjoinment. Awesome things I must read here... No limits!

[@bobwes57]

you should watch this!

[@NothingToNoOneInParticular]

Why wasn't Velazquez or Rembrandt considered "impressionists" for their impressionistic use of paint to imply, hair, fabric or pattern?

[@countdownda]

great

[@Waferdicing]

❤️

[@peternicholsonu6090]

So do we take life at face value? Or do we ask questions and learn something very valuable? At age 5yrs my Sunday school teacher told us good people go to heaven. I questioned this as a man (Lazarus) we were taught earlier by her had been raised from the dead. Had he gone to heaven then would he not tell everyone about it? If the one who raised him believed all good go to heaven was this not the time to prove it? My Sunday school teacher told me to not question the church. When I was older I could read for myself so I did. The one who raised Lazarus clearly stated he was “asleep “ Now a widower I’m so glad I proved for myself that my darling is not looking down on my grief. I know she is asleep and one day she will “come out” not “come down”.

[@kgtikhalid5334]

adorable

[@StormiCarroll-ls2by]

I gave his entire album to landmark construction.

[@jamesjube4002]

FOR SALE this painting is from 15 16 th century by el greco holy family

[@lunes-1]

🖼👍

[@emvo58]

velasquez babaaaa

[@miguakenmidgard5370]

Diego Velazquez already used to use photoshop 370 years before it was invented.....or sth better,a genious

[@Thewonderingminds]

6:02 //// the statement "Satiabor dum glori eficatus," presented in the form of a sickle and the "verit" at the bottom sort, verifies in writing the obvious that now no one dare argue otherwise. The worst version of hell imagined.

[@earlsarcades]

I saw the Nate K and Julie w in this too.

[@earlsarcades]

Boy someone slept with a lot of his own blood.

[@earlsarcades]

Amy, Erika 😬😬😬wow

[@earlsarcades]

How many illegitimate daughters?

[@MrDelvoye]

ovid wasnt a greek poet, and the red cross of the order of Santiago was added after his death

[@ovh992]

Valaaquez = The First Impressionist

[@jazzlehazzle]

BLURRED SUBJECTS IN BACKGROUND = DEPTH OF FIELD!! = HE WAS PAINTING FROM PINHOLE CAMERA PROJECTIONS OF HIS SUBJECTS at least sometimes (see Hockney). (I still agree he’s astounding)

[@opticalmixing23]

This is not about him, but his paintings

[@georgeanthony7282]

A person's work (whether it be paintings, writing, etc) depicts his/her own character/personality.

[@Milark]

By the WHAT 16:24

[@Thewonderingminds]

4:31 //// .... get married time runs out, Left only Two of one and Four of the other .

[@johnclendaniel4762]

Seems like there's a lot of useful information in this documentary, and Velasquez's ability to reflect reality is impressive for the period and as part of our inheritance of the Western Tradition. He was an artistic genius that contributed to the progressive development of painting technique and reflected various aspects of objective historical reality including sexuality, emotion, and the life of working people, that were beginning to be depicted during the renaissance, but his closeness to corrupt and despotic power is unsettling and disturbing. I'm not denying the progressive moments within the actual concrete role certain personifications of the ruling class played in social development, but to treat monarchies and their intelligentsia from a contemporary perspective without the understanding that they possessed many backward qualities that impeded social development (including cultural and artistic development) and at points contributed to social collapse and moral barbarism, would be a severely distorted and warped perspective of the type Marx tells us Capitalist Ideology produces! I thought it was interesting to understand both the progressive and reactionary aspects of the Yongzheng Emperor in the Peoples Republic of China produced TV Show Yongzheng Dynasty, which were well presented by the writers and actors of the program. That doesn't mean I would rip the Yongzheng Emperor or Yongzheng Dynasty's Ruling Class out of its historical context or anchor it in a way that produced an inappropriate level of immediacy between Yongzheng Emperor and today's rulers of any Capitalist or Socialist Nations. Sometimes I wonder if bourgeois art historians understand history properly...well that's really just a rhetorical device: I'm CERTAIN they don't!

[@IAmAfternoonBoy]

Y

[@aaronkurz864]

THIS ISN'T ABOUT THE GOVERNOR OF CUBA!!!

[@victoriareece2811]

No I did this for my A Laval just very small part of it To Tina Turner and Neil eng lanu and lit combine 1 year for me 2 months

[@Badbugz]

the cross was painted after he died, he wanted to be knighted but due to his religious believes the king couldn't do it because it was conflicting with the catholic church, after he died the king was so devastated that he painted it himself knighting him after death, this narration is factually wrong.

[@williambo5989]

he's not a blender fan. and likes to take efficient shortcuts

[@jackj_s8858]

Velázquez io soi guapah?

[@j2mf]

I love the paint, not painter.

[@jazzlehazzle]

Ugh. Jesus Christ: HE UNDERSTOOD WHAT THE SPINNING WHEEL LOOKED LIKE BECAUSE HE COULD FUCKING LOOK AT ONE. wtf. “Modern Science blah blah”??? Irrelevant bs about nothing special. As for him rendering its motion as he saw it, however: wow & bravo.

[@phaidonnikolaus9841]

I lost all interest when Ovid was called 'Greek'. He was Roman and it is just this ignorance that pervades the world of art.

[@paulnoel7196]

+phaidon nikolaus OMG! Get over it. They are ALL DEAD!

[@VitalMusic217]

they are all dead? You know velazquez is also dead? and all the people he portraited too? so why are you here watching it? get over it

[@michaelbyrd7883]

Velazquez the greatest painter ever? Nyet! There is no greatest painter ever, it's all in the eye of the beholder. Starting from the 16th century to the 20th century, I could name other Baroque painter's I preferred over him. How can you say he's greater then David, Van Gogh, Munch or Klimt they're completely different. Is he greater then Ruebens, Rembrandt, Vermeer, Van Dyke? That's up to you, I like the other's better!

[@georgeanthony7282]

Well said. People who start off by saying this (or that) person is the best painter; writer; athlete (you get the point) do so with no real value... or maybe just a bit of personal bias or prejudice. Personally, Velazquez is one of my favorite artists. And yes, I rank him up there with anyone. But in that special group of painters, I also add Vermeer, Sargent, Rembrandt, and a whole bunch more-including some prominent women painters. Why? Because each of these people paints in their own unique method. THAT is what makes their talent so extraordinary!!

[@vivek1993buxar]

OK> The voice of this woman is irritating and ruined this good documentary

[@nimium1955]

Who is the annoying man of which there is way too much?

[@kgtikhalid5334]

adorable

[@kgtikhalid5334]

adorable