Luncheon

This is one of the artist's early works. It belongs to his Seville period, during which he gave preference to genre scenes, a type of painting called bodegones (from bodega or tavern). This scene is vivid and spontaneous, the three men were clearly painted from life, and the same models appear in other works by the painter. The Caravaggesque style is strongly felt in the choice of subject and sharp contrast of light and shade. Arranging the objects on the table separately was typical in Spanish still-life painting of the time. The young man on the right is probably a self portrait of Velazquez himself. The State Hermitage Museum, St.Petersburg. Photo by Vladimir Terebenin.