1. Diego Roríguez de Silva y Velázquez was a Spanish painter of the contemporary Baroque period. He is best known for his paintings of what?

2. A very important painting by Velazquez is called Las Meninas; why is this painting so important?

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He was an individualistic artist of the contemporary Baroque period. He began to paint in a precise tenebrist style, later developing a freer manner characterized by bold brushwork. In addition to numerous renditions of scenes of historical and cultural significance, he painted scores of portraits of the Spanish royal family and commoners, culminating in his masterpiece Las Meninas (1656).

Velázquez's artwork became a model for 19th century realist and impressionist painters. Since then, famous modern artists, including Pablo Picasso, Salvador Dalí and Francis Bacon, have paid tribute to Velázquez by recreating several of his most famous works.

Explanation:

Basically, he painted the royals.

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