Published in Languages and Cultures in Tradition

In the History of Art, there are iconic paintings, which make their creator a figure shrouded in an air of genius. This was the case with “Las Meninas”, painted by Velázquez, a work published in 1656. This article aims to show some ways of interpreting the forms, colours, technique, and symbols present in the painting by the Spanish artist who served King Philip IV as First Court Painter. Over the centuries, “Las Meninas” has maintained an aura of mystery, as well as seemingly endless studies. Velázquez’s masterpiece already attracted the attention of other painters, such as Palomino and Goya, in the 18th and 19th centuries. At the end of the 19th century, the impressionists used it as the basis for their new artistic approach. And in the 20th century, the greatest names in art of the time, Picasso and Salvador Dalí, focused on the 17th-century work and created their own versions of “Las Meninas”.