Inspired by Diego Velázquez

The court painter is known for his characteristic Baroque style of painting that portrays a sense of grandeur, sensuous richness and drama. In his career, Velázquez began to experiment with tenebrism—a term derived from the Italian 'tenebroso' which means darkened and obscuring. It is used to describe a certain type of painting in which significant details such as faces and hands are illuminated by highlights which are contrasted with a predominantly dark setting. His portraits feature a dark color palette to portray dramatic shadows and casts of lighting.  Velázquez is also known for his bold and expressive brushstrokes, and thus became an inspiration to many 19th century realist and impressionist painters, as well as 20th century cubists and surrealists, such as Pablo Picasso and Salvador Dali, both of whom paid tribute to Velázquez by creating their own versions of his iconic paintings.

Here are some artists such as Abraham Dayan, Emmanuel Flipo and photographer Jacqueline Roberts who follow in Velázquez's footsteps, embodying the Spanish master's strong sense of light and dark contrasts and fluid, expressive brushstrokes. Go check out these modern artists inspired by the great master of European art!