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Velazquez was the greatest painter of the Spanish Renaissance. Born in Seville, where he also worked in his early years, he became the court painter in Madrid in 1623. He remained in the service of Philip IV for the rest of his life, portraying his king in many psychologically searching and moving portraits. He visited Italy in 1629--31, but the roots of his art were firmly Spanish. Court life was not Velazquez's only concern. Deeply human pictures of the humble and of street life are among his greatest; for example, The Water Carrier of Seville and The Old Woman Cooking Eggs. One of the outstanding historical paintings of all time is his Surrender of Breda. Las Meninas (The Maids of Honor), a court painting full of subtle allusions, is probably his best-known work. ( Picasso later painted 44 variations on its theme.) Although his work was neglected in the eighteenth century, Velazquez exerted a strong influence on later nineteenth-century painting. (Bowker Author Biography)
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