Images
El Greco, The Burial of Count Orgaz, 1586. Pre-Baroque
Velazquez, Las Menians, 1656. Baroque
One of the more fascinating traditions in art is the inclusion of the artist himself in his work. Both El Greco and Valazquez present themselves to us in their paintings, one more obviously than the other.
Essay
Address the following:
Do you think that the presence of the artist in these two works of art enhances them?
Can you think of other ways that an artist can refer to him/herself without actually including a self-portrait in his work of art? What motivates an artist to include him/herself in a work of art that is seemingly about something else?
Do you think that the levels of reality present in each image enhance the image? How so? Can you find any other work of art where this is also the case?
Sample Solution