Once You See the Mirror, You'll Never Unsee This Painting

The painter is holding a brush, standing behind a huge canvas, and he's looking straight at you. He isn't painting the little princess, or the women around her. He's painting whoever is standing exactly where you are. The answer is hidden in a small dark rectangle on the back wall. We go through Diego Velázquez's Las Meninas one detail at a time: the princess and her maids, Mari Bárbola, the man in the doorway, a red cross added after the painting was finished, the mirror, the vanishing point, and two dark paintings with a very bold message. 00:00 The painter looks at you 00:50 Las Meninas 01:07 Walk into the room 02:50 The painter 03:55 The mirror 04:48 Not everyone agrees 05:31 One more layer 06:17 The painting's legacy 07:16 What did Velázquez really paint? Painting: Diego Velázquez, Las Meninas (1656), Museo del Prado, Madrid. Public domain. Image via Wikimedia Commons. Music: "Cave 5", "Cave 4", "Cave 1" by HoliznaCC0 (CC0). Opening: Edvard Grieg, "In the Hall of the Mountain King" — Musopen Symphony Orchestra (public domain, via Wikimedia Commons). #velazquez #lasmeninas #arthistory #hiddendetails #prado