Las Meninas

What you see

A blonde girl in a white gown stands at the center, flanked by two young ladies-in-waiting who lean toward her: the meninas of the title. On the left, Velázquez looks out at us beside a huge canvas seen from behind. On the right, a woman of short stature, a boy and a resting dog complete the group. At the back, an open door reveals a man on a stairway.

Nearly the whole upper half is ceiling and shadow. Light enters from the right and falls on the girl and her companions. Up close, the dresses dissolve into loose strokes of white and grey. Keep an eye out for the little red jug one menina offers, and the boy’s foot resting on the dog’s back.