The Infante Baltasar Carlos on Horseback 

Diego Velázquez painted “The Infante Baltasar Carlos on Horseback” using oil on canvas. Velázquez's technique involved layering thin glazes of paint to create depth, luminosity and texture. Notice how the application of paint is quite thin in the background, but gains in thickness in the foreground. The artist worked ‘alla prima,’ meaning wet-on-wet, to create subtle gradations of tone and to capture the light as it fell on the scene. The horse is depicted with dynamic energy. The brushstrokes here are loose and expressive, conveying the animal's muscularity. In contrast, the Infante is painted with a degree of formality, reflecting his status. The rich fabrics and embellishments are meticulously rendered with fine detail, and are reminders of the enormous textile trade that fuelled the economy of the day. The sheer amount of work involved, from preparing the canvas to grinding the pigments to the final application of the paint, is a potent reminder of the labor that goes into making art.