Author Central

Claim Last Month's Award

Las Meninas

By Diego Velazquez


Diego Velázquez's "Las Meninas" is one of the most famous and mysterious paintings in Western art. At its center is the young Infanta Margarita Teresa, surrounded by her ladies-in-waiting (the meninas), along with two court dwarfs, a large mastiff, attendants, and a bodyguard. Velázquez also included himself standing at a giant canvas. On the back wall hangs a small mirror reflecting the faces of King Philip IV and Queen Mariana, raising the intriguing possibility that they are standing where the viewer is, posing for the portrait that Velázquez is creating.

The painting is celebrated for its remarkable illusion of space and its clever play with perspective. Art historians have long debated exactly what is happening in the scene and whose point of view the viewer shares. Near the end of his life, Velázquez was admitted to the prestigious Order of Santiago, and tradition holds that the red cross on his chest was added to the painting afterward, possibly at the king's command (and perhaps even painted by the king's own hand according to some records).

Create quizzes, earn paintings, build your gallery!
+1 Prestige per unframed, +2 Prestige per framed painting

1. Quiz must be from one of these topics (any sub-category works):
   
   People
   For Children
   
   
2. Author quiz of of format: matching quiz
   
   
3. Complete an author challenge
   
   

Get one quiz online this month meeting at least one of the requirements above and you will get an unframed version of this painting added to your Authoring Gallery!

Get at least two quizzes online this month, meeting all three requirements amongst all of your submissions to get a framed version of this painting added to your gallery.

Only quiz templates created during August are considered for this award.

Since editing timing is uncertain, eligible quiz templates placed online during August OR next month count. In other words, if you start work on a quiz in January, but after some back-and-forth with editors it ends up delayed and goes online in February, you will still earn January's painting award.

You must return to this page to claim your painting! There will be a link here to claim last month's painting.

You must be logged in to use this.