Reflexiones y precisiones del retrato de Van Dyck en la patria de Velázquez

Abstract

This article analyses the points of convergence between Velázquez’s and Van Dyck’s portraiture. Both painters portrayed the European elite of the time, but the Sevillian painted nobles and commoners with equal dignity. The importance of Van Dyck’s portraits in England is well known, but this is not the case in relation to Spain, where his influence is far greater than expected. He created an extraordinary gallery of portraits of relevant Spaniards or foreigners in the service of the King, while adapting his style to Spanish tradition. Palomino recommended these portraits -icons of the exaltation of power- in the form of prints as models to young painters, and Velázquez would have seen them in Spanish collections. The author points out the keys to the real presence of Van Dyck’s portraits in Spain and gives concrete examples of the influence of his style in Velázquez’s portraiture.