Lope de Vega y Diego Velázquez (con Caravaggio y Carducho): historia y razones de un silencio

Abstract

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This article explores the reasons behind the conspicuous absence of mentions of Diego Velázquez in Lope de Vega’s works, examining the relationship and ideological coincidences between the poet and the painter. To do so, we analyze Velázquez’s career during Lope’s life and the social links that united or separated the two, suggesting that one of the latter, Vicencio Carducho, was the reason behind Lope’s silence in regards to Velázquez. We advance this hypothesis examining the respective aesthetic ideologies of Lope, Velázquez, and Carducho, and paying special attention to Caravaggio’s role in the work of the latter. Finally, we use these deductions to reflect about Lope’s relationship with painting and about his general modus operandi in the literary field of the time.

Keywords

Lope de Vega, Diego Velázquez, Vincencio Carducho, Caravaggio, Theories on imitation, Natural talent