"The Surrender of Breda" by Diego Velázquez

Another Baroque artist... I'm starting to think I put my foot in my mouth in the last post by saying I don't like Baroque art.  Diego Velázquez, a Spanish painter well known for realism and portrait art.  At 24 he became head artist in the court of King Philip IV.   Even though Velázquez is most known for his painting Les Meninas, a snapshot of a moment in the palace of King Philip IV, I've decided to write about my favorite painting by him, The Surrender of Breda.

 Diego Velázquez. 1934. Oil on Canvas.

In all honesty this is my favorite painting by Velázquez because of the name of the artwork.  One of the worst reasons to like a painting, but I can't help loving the name "Breda."

The history behind The Surrender of Breda is that Ambrosio Spinola (man in black on the right) captured the city of Breda in 1625 from the Dutch republic, which was a great success for the Spanish arms.   Velázquez was very good friends with Spinola and after his death in 1630 he wanted to paint The Surrender of Breda as a a tribute to the great general. There is a great respect shown towards the Dutch as they hand over the city of Breda.  Velázquez over exaggerates the dignity Spinola gives to the Dutch army.  It is said that Spinola “had forbidden his troops to jeer at, or otherwise abuse, the vanquished Dutch."  But the fact that Spinola so peacefully conquered Breda the same way shown in the painting is unsure.

Photo and Information gathered from http://www.canvasreplicas.com/images/Surrender%20of%20Breda%20Diego%20Velazquez.jpg,  http://www.ibiblio.org/wm/paint/auth/velazquez/, http://www.carolsutton.net/breda/velazquez.html