BiographyDiego Velázquez was the leading painter of the Spanish Golden Age and one of the most important artists in Western art history, celebrated for his virtuosic naturalism, psychological depth, and mastery of light and atmosphere. As court painter to King Philip IV of Spain, he produced extraordinary portraits of royalty, dwarves, jesters, and religious subjects, as well as the enigmatic masterpiece Las Meninas (1656). His influence extends across centuries, profoundly shaping Impressionism, Realism, and 20th-century figurative painting.
