Las Meninas was painted by which artist?

Las Meninas was painted by which artist?

• A. Peter Paul Rubens
• B. Diego Velázquez
• C. Rembrandt
• D. Francisco Goya

Answer: (B)

Diego Velázquez painted Las Meninas. He was a leading 17th‑century Spanish artist and the court painter to King Philip IV. Created around 1656 in the royal Alcázar of Madrid, the work places the Infanta Margarita and her entourage in Velázquez’s studio, with the artist himself depicted at his easel. What makes it exceptional is the way the composition fuses viewer and subject: light and space modulate a scene that seems to extend beyond the frame, and a mirror shows the king and queen as if they’re part of the action. This layered structure—the painter, the royal family, and the reflected gaze—exemplifies Velázquez’s mastery of perspective, realism, and self‑presence in a single heightened moment. The other artists listed are prominent in different contexts and periods, but Las Meninas is firmly attributed to Velázquez.

Diego Velázquez painted Las Meninas. He was a leading 17th‑century Spanish artist and the court painter to King Philip IV. Created around 1656 in the royal Alcázar of Madrid, the work places the Infanta Margarita and her entourage in Velázquez’s studio, with the artist himself depicted at his easel. What makes it exceptional is the way the composition fuses viewer and subject: light and space modulate a scene that seems to extend beyond the frame, and a mirror shows the king and queen as if they’re part of the action. This layered structure—the painter, the royal family, and the reflected gaze—exemplifies Velázquez’s mastery of perspective, realism, and self‑presence in a single heightened moment. The other artists listed are prominent in different contexts and periods, but Las Meninas is firmly attributed to Velázquez.