How Velázquez Painted Infanta Margarita Teresa in a Blue Dress (1659) | Stroke by Stroke

Watch Diego Velázquez, Infanta Margarita Teresa in a Blue Dress, 1659 come together stroke by stroke, from blank canvas to final touch, set to music by Albéniz. One of Velázquez's last canvases, sent to Vienna for the girl's fiancé, Leopold I. The eight-year-old infanta stands against a dark ground, the immense hoop skirt filling the width of the canvas, a brown fur muff in her left hand. The gold chain and the gleams on the silk are loose, almost abstract stains that resolve at a distance. The painting was cut into an oval in the 18th century and later restored. This is an interpretive animation: a plausible reconstruction of how the canvas may have been painted, not a historical record of the artist's process. Chapters 0:00 The preparation of the canvas 0:30 Positioning strokes 0:53 Masses and dark background 1:46 Silk and textures 2:44 The face and the chain 3:43 A late and altered work 4:23 The finished work Painting: Diego Velázquez, Infanta Margarita Teresa in a Blue Dress (1659). Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna, GG 2130. Public domain image. Music: Albéniz, Cádiz, from Suite española No. 1, Chris Breemer, piano, CC0. Subtitles available (CC button). Art&Art — Great paintings. Classical music. #Velazquez #InfantaMargarita #Baroque #Albéniz #FineArtMasterclass