Cinema in the Old Theater “Velázquez and his secret”

Diego Velázquez — a master of baroque splendor, who was not afraid of emptiness in his paintings, a personal painter of the king who portrayed the people, an artist occupying high positions in the royal administration, the author of some of the most enigmatic works in the history of art. And above all, the forerunner of modern painting. His works aroused the admiration of Édouard Manet, Pablo Picasso, Francis Bacon and Salvador Dali. The latter of the self-portraits of the idol even borrowed the characteristic mustache, which became his hallmark. “Velázquez and his secret” proves the influence that Velázquez had on many generations of creators, brings closer the work of the Spaniard full of hidden meanings, tries to get closer to the secret of his genius.

The works of this most important European painter — alongside Caravaggio and Goa — are included in the world's greatest collections. Together with the creators of the film “Velázquez and his secret”, we walk through the halls of the Musée d'Orsay, the Prado, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and curators, artists, conservators, historians explain the phenomenon of the artist. At the center of this story are the famous “Court Maidens”, a picture that impresses with an unusual perspective, artful composition, phenomenal technique and to this day eludes interpretations. Many are still looking for what Velázquez saw - this is what the creators of the film say about the enigmatic masterpiece.

But “Velázquez and his secret” is not only works and experts, but also unique, surprising recordings extracted from television archives, in which Dali, Bacon or the philosopher Michel Foucault tell about the passion for Velázquez, among others. One of the protagonists of the documentary is also Julian Schnabel. And for each of them, the Spaniard remained a thoroughly contemporary artist.