Consider Velázquez's Las Meninas (from Chapter 2 of your text) and Rembrandt's Sortie of Captain Cocq's Company of the Civic Guard (The Night Watch). The two paintings were made within 10 years of one another, but in countries with very different cultures. Explain the social/political forces that contribute to the works' differences.

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

The Spanish court, under the rule of King Phillip IV, was eager to emulate the pomp and pageantry of the French court. In his capacity as the king's court painter, Velázquez created his masterpiece Las Meninas. The setting is a room in the royal palace with an assembly of people, the royal couple, their daughter, attendants, dwarfs, and fine objects that represent court life. There is ambiguity in the subject, as we can only guess at the subject he is painting, but that is part of the fascination. The painting is an official portrait and Velázquez conveys a warm, everyday quality. Rembrandt's Night Watch portrays a kind of private elite militia. Such groups played a prominent role, but by Rembrandt's time their function was largely ceremonial. Rembrandt's innovation was to paint individual portraits within the context of a larger activity, a call to arms.