Diego Velázquez Enter a
feeling, not
a gallery.
Choose a mood and the room itself answers — the light cools or warms, the air changes pace, and only the works that carry that feeling step forward from the dark. Everything else recedes into shadow.
Diego Velázquez
Early Life, Family and Training in Seville Diego Velázquez was born in Seville, Spain, in 1599. He was the first child of Juan Rodríguez de Silva, a notary or lawyer, and Jerónima Velázquez. His arrival in the world was marked by his baptism at the Church of St. Peter in Seville on Sunday, 6 June 1599. The boy's path toward painting began early. At the age of eleven, he was apprenticed to Francisco Pacheco, a man who would become a si
gnificant influence on his technical foundation. This apprenticeship lasted six years, starting in 1611. Through this training, he learned the essential skills of drawing, painting, and the study of proportion. His life in Seville was deeply connected to his teacher; in 1618, he married Juana Pacheco, the daughter of his mentor. Together, they had two daughters, Francisca and Ignacia. During these formative years in Seville, his work…