Тhe toilet of venus (the rokeby venus) / Toilet of Venus (Venus Rokeby)

In the work of Diego Velazquez, the great Spanish painter, one of the best portrait painters in the history of world art, there is a painting that is unique both for the artist himself and for his time. This is “Venus with a Mirror,” a naked beauty, proud and charming. How could she appear in Catholic Spain of the 17th century, which lived according to the strict canons of piety, under the rule of the omniscient and powerful Inquisition, which cruelly punished any manifestation of sensuality and passion.
Amazing, naked, beautiful Venus. A real miracle, and it had nothing to do with religious miracles. Art historians still debate who posed for Velazquez for this painting and when exactly the painting was created. The first written mention of the painting dates back to 1651 - in the inventory of the collection of a relative of the influential Olivares, the Marquis del Carpio.
Some scholars believe that the painting was created by Velazquez during his stay in Italy, where he went on the instructions of the king in 1648 to get acquainted with the achievements of his Italian colleagues and buy paintings for the royal collection. There is evidence that he had a beloved in Italy, and moreover, she - after the artist's departure to Spain - bore him a son, for the maintenance of which Velazquez then sent money. It may well be that it was this unknown Italian woman who posed for Velazquez for his Venus.

But there is another version - the canvas was created in Spain, and in the picture there is not an Italian woman, but a real Spanish woman, charming Damiana, a famous Madrid actress and dancer. Among the courtiers, Anna Damiani aroused envy, irritation and hatred due to the fact that she did not suffer from feigned modesty, possessed perfect beauty and extraordinary talent. In addition, she did not wear wigs like the ladies of the court, and preferred to style her chic hair in a Greek knot, which gave her a resemblance to an ancient goddess.
Dona Anna was so similar to the mythical Venus, only with Spanish features, that her image was asked to be painted on canvas.

At first, as Pacheco testified, Velazquez depicted only a female figure on canvas, boldly disdaining all the advice of his teacher, but then, out of caution, he nevertheless added a boy with Cupid's wings - let his beauty be presented not as a living woman, but as the ancient goddess, and the goddess is allowed to do anything - even to recline so shamelessly naked, and even in full view.

But young Cupid could not hide the beauty and passion of living flesh. “That woman is good that is full of fire, but does not burn,” says a Spanish proverb. Velasquezova Venus is graceful and subtle, graceful and seductive. but also proud. For her, to love is not to give up, but to win. If the Flemish, Italian and German Venuses shamelessly face the viewer and belong to everyone, recklessly giving their beauty, then this insidious temptress turned her back on the viewer - in general, she does not need anyone. Her face is visible only in the mirror. And this detail is also extremely important for the Spaniard Velazquez.

In the Spanish tradition, a woman looking in a mirror is a philosophical and instructive plot. One could look at one's face only in order to comprehend the plan of the Creator - this is what Catholic morality demanded. But Velazquez has a completely different attitude towards mirrors. They always fascinated him, attracted him to their looking-glass space. Mirrors often appeared in his paintings - they transformed the space, expanding it, giving volume and depth. There were ten mirrors in his workshop, and they cost a lot in those days. Once when the artist was asked. why does he need so much, he replied that the mirrors are his assistants, almost apprentices. After all, reflection is the same picture, only it exists only for a moment. “My artist has become a mirror of our life,” Philip IV once said about Velazquez with a subtlety that does him credit. So Venus looks in the mirror and sees her face there - a soft oval, dark velvet eyes. This indistinct face in the mirror is like a beautiful vision, an unattainable dream ... But still, "Venus ..." is, first of all, a portrait of a body that attracts, beautiful, concealing the promise of exquisite pleasures.