Author's Copy by Diego Velázquez - Venus and Cupid

This is a copy in which the artist reproduces Diego Velázquez's famous painting "Venus and Cupid," also known as "The Selling of Rokeby," so called because the painting remained in his country house, Rokeby Park, County Durham, for much of the 19th century. Velázquez's "Venus" and Goya's "The Nude Maja" are the only known nude paintings in Spanish art. The painting is currently housed in the National Gallery in London. The artist recreates the Spanish painter's depiction, both iconographically and formally. The iconography presented is that of Venus, a symbol of beauty, portrayed from behind while looking at herself in the mirror. The mirror is held by Cupid, whose attributes we can recognize, represented as a child with two wings, usually accompanied by a bow and coffin. The two figures are usually depicted together in art history; in this case, it can be said that, from a symbolic and interpretative perspective, the painting explores the theme of beauty and love. The mirror, a symbol of beauty and vanity but also truth, which reflects the face of Venus is seen as a metaphor for love that reflects true beauty. The work reflects the Spanish painter's innovation. It is true that it fits within the tradition of depicting Venus, but it also subverts the stylistic norm to achieve innovation. Venus is depicted from behind, with her reclining body prominent in the foreground. Venus's curves resemble a life-size model. Although the theme harks back to a mythological tradition, her depiction is realistic. Venus's complexion in our painting shifts to warmer tones than in the original, and the painting is rougher, yet with attention to detail, attempting to recreate the draperies. The painter also seeks to convey that emotional impact, both through color and composition, by blurring Venus's face in the mirror. The artist of this copy remains anonymous, but we can affirm that he possessed a fine mastery of painting, managing to represent and reproduce a work of inestimable value, both symbolically and stylistically, taking up the thread of the Spanish painter Diego Rodríguez de Silva y Velázquez, also known as Diego Velázquez (1599–1660). Velázquez is considered one of the most influential artists of the Baroque era as well as a great portraitist. He trained in 1609 in the workshop of Francisco Herrera the Elder, and then attended the workshop of Francisco Pacheco from 1610 to 1617. The influences in his painting come from Caravaggio and the Lombard-Venetian school of colorism, where one can trace the coloristic element as a pictorial cornerstone and the influence of Rubens, whom the artist will experience directly during his visit to Madrid in 1628. He became “pintor del rey” in 1623, when he abandoned genre painting to dedicate himself to the court painting that would make his fortune.

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