In this artwork, how is the Composition and style of the Visual analysis elucidated?
Famous for capturing great detail in his realistic style paintings, Velázquez demonstrates these qualities in his portrait of Sebastián de Morra. By painting Morra from a straight-on view, Velázquez managed to highlight Morra's obvious resentment of his physical nature and the disability itself. De Morra is placed against a plain dark background with no objects in sight. The structure of the painting was originally oval instead of a square, as evident in markings on the canvas. Missing pieces in the corners are also evidence that the canvas was meant to be fit in an oval stretcher. In 1734 a fire destroyed the Real Alcazar of Madrid where the portrait of De Morra was held. This could have been the reason the canvas was cut irregularly, to save it from further fire damage. The wall in the painting itself is believed to have been scorched by a fire of unknown origin. The lack of a background leads to the conclusion that De Morra is alienated from the outside world and a normal social life. De Morra's right side of his face is in shadow due to the tilted angle of his head and light source on the left. The light source helps to ground the figure, for it would have appeared he was floating in space in an otherwise dark background. The white collar and cuffs on De Morra's outfit are made out of expensive lace material, which cause the viewer to pay closer attention to his hands and face. The red and gold trimmed cape around his figure help draw the viewers gaze from the cape towards his face. The cape and collar around De Morra's head bare a similar appearance to the military coat worn by Philip IV. De Morra's hands are resting on his side, in which Velázquez did not include any finger appendages.
Sebastián de Morra Real Alcazar Madrid