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February 23, 2005
Las Meninas
For about 25 years or so, I have been trying to develop a story out of Velázquez's Las Meninas.
I first saw the painting around 1988 or so, and I have always felt that there was something monstrous about it. Eventually a first line came to me that I associated with the unveiling, followed by some sort of reprisal.
"I am the girls' mother, the boy's aunt. The painter is not to be paid .."
I never really bothered about the facts behind the painting. I just thought that my scenario was more realistic than, say, Foucault's, with his overly complex interpretation of the the various perspectives in the painting. Picasso did some interesting things with it, and if you google the painting you will get lots of visual input. In any event, I haven't come up with the story in twenty five years, and probably never will, but I do hope that someone will take it up.
Posted by apc at February 23, 2005 02:35 AM