Painting of the Spanish artist Diego Velasquez “Embroiderer”. The size of the portrait is 74 x 60 cm, canvas, oil. Portraits, created by Velasquez in the 40s of the 17th century, brought the painter the deserved fame of the master of this genre. The gray-green background of the picture “Embroiderer” seems airy, having depth, freely laid strokes form a very thin layer through which a coarse-grained canvas shines through. This portrait, made by the artist, is more like the manner of Flemish painters of the second half of the 17th century, although, naturally, was created earlier.
Portraits of Velasquez are extremely natural and realistic, even though they usually lack accessories, gestures and movement. The background of the portraits is chosen in such a way as to maximize the figure, the color scale of portrait paintings is strict, but enlivened with carefully selected combinations of colors.
The strict dark scale of the portraits of Velasquez is animated by exquisite combinations of gray and red-pink, greenish and gray-olive, black and gold. The effects of gray tones, sometimes darker, soft, velvety, sometimes reaching a fresh, fresh pearl shade are striking. Portraying the king and his family members, court dignitaries, royal jesters, friends, simple workers, the painter Velazquez depicts a person as he is in the confluence of the most contradictory traits of character.
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