Discuss the iconography of Diego Velázquez's Las Meninas. What does the composition suggest about the role of the viewer? Why does Velázquez include himself in the portrait?
What will be an ideal response?
The ideal answer should include:
1. Velázquez draws viewers directly into the scene, which focuses on the Infanta and the attendants who surround her.
2. In one interpretation, the viewer stands in the very space occupied by King Philip and his queen, whose reflections can be seen in the mirror on the back wall.
3. Velázquez himself actually stands within the painting, brushes and palette in hand, beside a huge canvas as he paints the Infanta.
4. The painting is both a royal portrait of the Infanta and a self-portrait of the artist; Velázquez asserts his respect and acclaim as an artist by depicting himself as a courtier and the keys of the palace tucked into his sash.
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