Melanie Lahura
Vlog # 3
March 15, 2022
Las Meninas
Velazquez Tech is an immersive art museum in Madrid. Featuring Diego Velázquez’s 1656 painting, Las Meninas, it is a mesmerizing experience with a 360° look through a great work of art.
Velazquez was an early 17th-century artist who lived in Madrid. He became the leading artist in the court of Philip IV.
This museum has rooms where you can touch, smell, feel, and immerse yourself in the era of Velazquez and this incredible painting. It combines art, music, and technology to help make Las Meninas accessible to young people who value unique experiences. Dozens of projectors illuminate the rooms where visitors can listen to baroque music with modern mixes; talk to the painter through a hologram; enter a four-dimensional painting, and create your own Meninas.
The museum tells the history of Velazquez and his era in Madrid.
I saw the original painting of Las Meninas in person when I went to “El Museo del Prado.” But in this museum, without the original, we learned the story behind the work. It gave me a much deeper understanding of what Velazquez was doing in the painting and a historical perspective. I’ve never enjoyed the analysis of a painting the way I did at Velazquez Tech.
My favorite 2 sections of the museum were the Meninas with a reflection of images in them. One was Liberty where you see “Liberte Egalite Fraternite” written in it (see photo below). Another one with the protest symbol of “Black Lives Matter'' which started in the United States, but had such an impact worldwide, during the pandemic. To see how recent events are already impacting exhibits in museums makes me feel happy to know people see how this new generation is making a stand for Justice.
My second favorite part of this museum was the “movie” section. There was a hologram of “Velazquez” where he explained the meaning behind his painting; not only what he thought was good, but also what other experts said.
One said that the composition of the Meninas is based on the special mathematical complexes that are seen taking the Mandeja proportion as a reference. A 19th-century journalist, Angel del Campo, said that if we connect the hearts of the noblest characters in the painting with an imaginary line, the constellation of Corona Borealis is drawn. The central star is called Margarita Cornale (Alphecca), as Margarita’s head, as the infant Margarita in the painting.
Some experts say that the picture is a vindication of the concept of family in the 17th century. In those times the portraits were within the reach of the nobility. And they used to portray only members of the same family.
I also learned about a French philosopher, who wondered who is the real protagonist of the painting. He said that the real protagonists of the painting are so visible that they go unnoticed. They are the audience because if the mirror were real it would be our faces that would be reflected in it.
Also, many historians find similarities between the Meninas and many other works such as those by Goya and Picasso. When Goya painted the picture of the family of Carlos IV, he was inspired by Velázquez's painting to take his own position in the royal portrait. In Picasso’s case, he tried 58 times, because he needed to find the true meaning of the painting of “Las Meninas.” He wouldn’t leave his workshop until he did so.
I learned that the true importance of a work of art is to remain alive over time and continue to move those who contemplate them and be open to each era experiencing it as new. A pretty cool concept.
One section I liked the most and I have carved into my head was the following: “human beings are like a blank canvas, we are all spectators and artists creating our lives with our hands and our eyes. A life that is our own work of art waiting for what the next one will be like. And that we shouldn't settle easily. That we should keep looking for our own inspiration and keep trying until we paint our own “Menina” masterpiece.
So much has happened and so much is still happening in our world today that we forget to be inspired and to keep being ambitious. We see how current events can make dreams fade away. This painting and its analysis inspired me to keep reaching for my goals and never to settle.
This museum was super guay (cool). They photoshop you into your own “Las Meninas” painting (see photo below).
Reading your blogs has been a pleasure and quite informative. It seems as if we are walking along with you, experiencing the sights and insights of your experience. Keep up the information flow.
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