Richard Marquez Las Meninas

Velazquez' Las Meninas is a masterpiece of Spanish Baroque painting, meaning irregular. It makes the statement of illusion versus reality. You would have to wonder though, if this painting revolves of the life of Velazquez, the artist who was an individualist painter of the Baroque, in the seventeenth century Counter-Reformation Spain, or is this a true family portrait of King Philip IV and Queen Mariana with their child. The portrait Las Meninas has always had questions that surrounded its meaning or iconography. There is a mirror perspective of the King and Queen, but is it their reflection in the mirror on the back wall or is it an actual portrait of them? There seems to be many focal points such as La Infanta Margarita, child
In the Arnolfini Portrait, there are a few central vanishing points that include the couples hand holding and convergence on the upper mirror corner. The mirror in the background gives a perspective of depth and includes two other individuals in the reflective image which we do not see other than in reflection. The convex mirror has ten small circles around it and has the scene of the Passion of Jesus. The whole portrait image is an interpretation of a husband and wife within childbearing, a sign of fertility and of marriage which also includes her holding her dress and the pieces of fruit positioned about her chest symbolizing fertility. Noted against the wall is a statue of Saint Margaret, patron of women in childbirth. This painting also includes the family pet pictured in a personable yet elaborate room in their home which could signify fidelity. There is lighting used accentuates their faces for clarity. The artist also placed the signature of Jan van Eyck was here above the mirror symbolic to as if the artist was there. He often instilled religious symbolism such as the scenes of Christ around the mirror or even the one candle up in the chandelier to represent the presence of Christ or the traditional marriage