Comparison




When comparing Judith Leystere’s Self-Portrait and Diego Velázquez’s Juan de Pareja one can see the obvious similarities like they both are oil paintings, and they both occur around the same time period. Another similarity that is not so obvious, is that of the subjects, they were both considered minorities, one is a black slave and one is a female artist. However, there are quite a few differences that stand out also. For instance, the colors in Leystere’s portrait are brighter and vibrant, making them stand out, as well as, bring a lighter feel to her piece. Velázquez’s piece has darker colors that brings more of a murky feel to it. Leystere’s piece is self-portrait, which showcases the fact that she is an artist, she herself is painting a portrait in the portrait. In Velázquez’s painting he painted a portrait of his assistant, Juan de Pareja who was also a slave. His piece is more delicate and intense, focusing more on his features. Juan de Pareja is taking a great deal of pride in being Velázquez’s subject making the piece more serious. Well, Leystere’s piece is light and easy going, she is not taking herself too seriously, one can see that with the slight smile she has on her face. Each portrait is an extraordinary piece making them stand out for this time period. 



The Metropolitan Museum of Art, "Diego Velázquez, Juan de Pareja," in Smarthistory, October 8, 2016, accessed February 7, 2021, https://smarthistory.org/velazquez-juan-de-pareja/.


Dr. Beth Harris and Dr. Steven Zucker, "Judith Leyster, Self-Portrait," in Smarthistory, December 14, 2015, accessed February 7, 2021, https://smarthistory.org/judith-leyster-self-portrait/.




Comments

  1. JDFebruary 10, 2021 at 2:31 PM

    Nice comparison. At first glance I immediately noticed the difference in mannerism and lighting vibrance. I understand both are considered minorities, one being a black slave and one being female, which likely made these paintings stand out the most during their artistic period because of the choice of subject and how they were expressed.

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  2. UnknownFebruary 10, 2021 at 5:44 PM

    I liked how in your comparison you discussed the way in which the paintings were painted. With vibrancy and color difference. I also appreciate that you began the comparison by identifying that they are both minorities. what I would have liked to hear would have been maybe the sitters backgrounds if possible. Over all its great!

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  3. Glori MartelFebruary 12, 2021 at 10:23 AM

    You compared them very well. I agree with everything you described and I admire your hard work in enlightening us. This was really well planned, and you put a lot of work into it. Really good job. I can tell you put a lot of research into this.

    ReplyDelete

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