The Education Of The virgin

Gary Wilson Professor :

Jerry Nevins

Museum experience

March 27, 2011

The Education of the Virgin

Last module I encountered an unusual piece of artwork. The painting was the education of the Virgin by Diego Velazquez. The painting grabbed my attention the moment I entered third floor of Yale’s Art Gallery. I loss for words secondary to the religious content that the art work displayed. The artwork represented some of the major players from the post biblical era. The Education Of the virgin represent spirituality and encouragement that I take with me throughout my daily spiritual walk.

Diego Velazquez was born Seville Andulsa Spain June 6, 1599 and was the first child of Juan Rodriguez de Silva and Jerónima Velázquez. Diego Velázquez was educated by his parents to fear God and resort to a learned profession. Diego developed a love for art at the tender age of twelve. In his early years he served as an apprentice under Francisco Pacheco . Although art was his passion , he covered a broad spectrum of subject matter and much interest in language and philosophy. While studying under Pacheco, he developed maturity, realism, and excellent art skill. In the later years Velazquez was stimulated by and adored the works of the great Titian. On April 23, 1618 Velazquez married his teacher’s daughter Juana Pacheco and she later bore two daughters by the name of Francisca de Silva Velázquez Pacheco and Ignacia de Silva Velázquez y Pacheco(died in infancy). Frustrated by the death of his daughter , he channeled all his energy and produce some major artwork in 16ooth . I will list a few: Old Woman Frying Eggs, his sacred subjects include Adoración de los Reyes (1619, The Adoration of the Magi), and Jesús y los peregrinos de Emaús . In 1622 Diego move to Madrid Spain and spend the remainder of his life in Spain as court painter for Philip the IV. On august 6, 1660 Velazquez developed a fever that he never recovered from and he died ten day later (August 16, 1660) in Madrid Spain.

In 2004, a painting was discovered in a storehouse in Yale University, where it had been for about a hundred years, by the then junior curator, John Marciari (Katz 1). Following his suspicions about the artwork through research and consultations, Marciari’s conclusions were cause for considerable interest and some controversy. However, he concluded that the painting was by Diego Velazquez although there was no clear proof that it was by the artist. For example, the artist was not known to sign his works and since the work is unsigned, this may point to its authenticity. However, its lack of a signature also contributes to doubts about its veracity. Although the history of the painting contributes to the conclusions by scholars, its similarity to early paintings by Velazquez brought about these conclusions. The painting was named The Education of the Virgin after its subject. However, some scholars are not satisfied with the findings and they opine that it is not a Velazquez (Katz 3). In the painting, the Holy family, which consists of Mary, Joseph, and the baby Jesus, are depicted in a domestic scene that also has strong religious overtones. The fragment of what is believed to have been an angelic figure is found at the upper left of the painting. The holy family is seated on the foreground and the figures fill the canvas. Joseph, who sits on the left, is clearly identified as the teacher given that he is directly facing Mary and Jesus and his face and figure are in profile view. Mary, who is on the right, is depicted in three-quarter view and she holds a book on her lap, to which she is pointing. Her gaze is directed at Joseph in a somewhat questioning glance, the stance of a pupil who is intent on learning. Jesus is between the two, and is shown to be following his mother’s studies since he is pointing to the same book portion as his mother. However, his gaze is directed outwards towards the viewer, engaging the viewer in the scene. Fig 1: A photo of the The Education of the Virgin showing some of the reasons why the painting has been reattributed as a Velazquez. The arrangement of the figures is triangular in nature, which helps the eye to travel from one point of interest to the other. The figures are the main point of interest given that they emerge from darkness, which is lighted by a source from the left. Except for a still life of a small table with drawers, the rest of the painting is in darkness (Motzkin). This leaves out any distracting details from the painting thereby giving prominence to the three figures in the foreground. The small table with drawers helps to ground the figures and to provide a sense of domesticity to the scene. The heads of the three figures are arranged in a triangular form that is echoed by the heads of Mary and Joseph and the book on Mary’s lap. These triangular arrangements ensure that the viewer is not distracted from the subject by drawing the eye smoothly from one point of interest to the other. The painting is on canvas and the medium used is oils, which was a preference of Velazquez (Motzkin). Given the amount of time it was sitting at the storeroom without any conservation and restorative measures being taken, the painting is quite damaged (Katz 1). The angelic figure is destroyed and the surface of the painting is scraped; however, the essential elements of the painting are clearly visible. The style of the painting is Baroque, a style that was characterized by openly visible emotionality in the subjects. Joseph’s figure is depicted as being completely absorbed in the lesson while Mary is depicted in an apt and slightly questioning stance. Jesus is given a neutral expression that may be a pointer to his divine nature and knowledgeableness (Katz 4). In Baroque, details were rendered in detail and this is observable in the painting where the figures, drapery, and still life are rendered in detail. The painting was dated as having been created in the seventeenth century in Spain after considering its pigment, priming layer, and style (Katz 2). The seventeenth century was characterized by strong religious sentiments and practices as is shown by the existence of the inquisition at the time. Those who were thought to be unbelievers were tortured and executed, often by officials who held positions of power in the church. The religious fervor of the period is shown by artists’ productions at the time. The artworks were largely religious in nature and subjects that may have been considered as pagan are likely to have been met with strong retribution. Consequently, most of the artworks at the time were Christian in nature since most artists sought to comply rather than face death. The image of the divine family has been used in Christian art for some time and it predates seventeenth century Spain. It depicts some of the most important principles that a Christian ought to have. These include obedience to God and cohesiveness that is brought about by love for others. Mary is shown to be learning from Joseph perhaps as an indication of her place in the marriage. However, the fact that she is learning from reading shows that women were allowed to read and write at the time. The family is depicted as one cohesive unit, a probable reference to the importance of the family unit to people at the time. The veracity of the painting as a Velazquez may be difficult to prove although there are some indicators that support the claim. According to Marciari, technical qualities cannot be used to prove an attribution; as such, the painting will is likely to have detractors as well as those who believe it to be a Velazquez if no further evidence is found to support either view (Allen). Consequently, only speculation and comparisons between the painting and others can provide some of form of answers to the question.

Works Cited

Allen, Emma. Velázquez Discovered at Yale University. July 6, 2010. Web. March 30, 2010. Katz, Jamie. “A Velázquez in the Cellar?” Smithsonian Magazine. April 201o. Web. March 30, 2010. Motzkin, Lauren. Gallery says Velazquez attribution is official. September 9, 2010. Web. March 30, 2010.