Velázquez’s Masterpieces in Seville and Some New Proposals

Known as “Nova Roma” since the 1500s, the city of Seville had a cherished tradition of classical studies and Italian Renaissance art. If Rome saw the birth of Caravaggio’s revolutionary art, Seville was the cradle of the greatest of all Spanish Golden Age painters: Diego Velázquez. Velázquez’s early work, emerging from the city’s intellectual tradition, was nurtured by his master, Francisco Pacheco, but was in stark contrast to the teacher’s work. It is not yet clear how Velázquez became aware of the new tenebrist naturalism in the manner of Caravaggio, but as a youth the Spaniard championed it with extraordinary skill. Salvador Salort-Pons, Director, President, and CEO, Detroit Institute of Arts, explores Velázquez’s Seville, his early masterpieces, the newly discovered Sevillian paintings, and other works thought to be by the artist’s hand. Generously sponsored by the Martin A. Ryerson Fund.