Who Was Velazquez?

What it this, another trial pursuit, the latest hype or candid camera? When reading about Francis Bacon -- and about the influence of his life on his paintings -- whose work is currently exhibited in the Prado museum in Madrid, I dwelled upon another painter: Velazquez. In the same article, Felix de Azua unveils (el Pais 16th of February) the fact that Velazquez as we know from Las Meninas, is not the Velazquez we think he was.

For it appears he was not a man but a woman. The story portraits the "search for a birth certificate that never has been found under his name, but under the name of Isabel Velazquez. All of a sudden the whole masterpiece of Velazquez - las meninas - turn up in a new light and new clues are easy to find to re-interpret the painting (for example the pair in the mirror is perfectly mirrored as man and woman appear exactly the opposite as they really are).

But I don't believe it. This is just another trick to make life more interesting. Felix' article starts with the "contrast between the old painting - there to represent the order in the world for a few aristocrats capable to understand it - and the new or actual painting - that tells about the order of the individual genius who is confronting the chaotic world."

One could only understand the paintings of Francis Bacon after knowing his adversities in life for example his stay on the Spanish east coast (Costa Brava) which led to the death of his wife.

In summary de Azua concludes that the artist life is important for understanding his work whereas in the past the work was merely a vehicle of time, according to Marx: belonging to society. But if Velazquez really was a woman, historians then would have to rewrite history. And we have to think about it again. Imagine Velazquez a woman, without anybody noticing this...

PS. a few days later...
I could have known, it was just a trick, and I should wonder why I didn't realize this, the story of Francis Bacon on the Costa... I'd better check the source or even better: take a moment and think by myself: what is going on here? Am I being fooled.

Not long ago a news-entertainment program in Spain set someone up in sending them a fake report of a girl who was being sacked by El Gran Wyoming, presenting the program El Intermedio. What followed was a discussion on how far this could go; is under the label of entertainment everything allowed even confusing people on the truth? The program who received the tape with the fake report (intereconomia) should have checked the authenticity of the material, which they didn't. Why? because of the pressure of time, time-to-market.
The journalist above was probably experimenting whether readers were reading thoroughly and verified (take a moment to reflect) whether the story was true.

What does this mean for Velazquez? Was he a man or a woman? I suggest that you check it yourself...

blowingupthemoon