"Las Meninas" by Diego Velazquez

When placing yourself through the eyes of Diego Velazquez, one has many questions. These questions range from the obvious observations to the most acute of details. However, I, being an average viewer of art from a background of primarily pop culture, had a difficult time selecting exactly what questions to ask this painting. The real question that repeatedly surged in my mind was the question of mystification or "the process of explaining away what might otherwise be evident"(112). Was I going to view this art like the general masses and be mystified like Berger predicted I would be? Well, yes and no.
When I first looked at the portrait of Las Meninas, the first question that came to my mind was why the characters of the painting were positioned in the numerous fashions that they were. …