Portrait of Cardinal Camillo Massimi (1620-1677)
Diego Velázquez·1650
Historical Context
Cardinal Camillo Massimi, at Kingston Lacy, was one of Rome's most learned churchmen and a major art patron. Velazquez painted him during his second Italian visit around 1650, when the artist was mixing with the highest circles of Roman society and painting the famous portrait of Pope Innocent X. Velázquez's uncompromising naturalism and psychological penetration, combined with his revolutionary loose handling of paint in his late work, made him one of the most admired painters in history, his technique anticipating Impressionism and influencing Manet, Sargent, and countless others.
Technical Analysis
The cardinal's crimson mozzetta provides a rich chromatic keynote, painted with the liquid, transparent brushwork of Velazquez's maturity. The face emerges from the red garment with startling vitality, each feature described with minimal but perfectly placed strokes.
