Looking At Diego Velázquez's Las Meninas

Looking at Diego Velázquez's Las Meninas, the artist depicted the royal family of Philip IV in 1656. This oil painting has a sophisticated composition, which contains six layers in positioning all objective content in complex but explicit silhouettes. The front most stands the enormous canvas, a mighty hound resting on the floor, and a playmate stepping on its back. The second layer is the spotlight, where the young princess stands in the center surrounded by two maids of honor and a governess; then the third layer is the artist himself holding a paint brush and palette. Velázquez illustrated the princess and maids with the highest contrast, dimming others, which emphasizes the primary subject matter —las meninas. The princess is composed of