During the Baroque period artists strived to propel themselves away from the idealism of the Renaissance and instead pursued the path of naturalism. This era of art was filled with dynamic images and the artists at this time were desperately attempting to capture a single moment of time in their artwork. One such artist was Diego Velazquez, who longed to utilize his artistic abilities in order to advance his position in society. He believed that their was no nobler profession than that of an artist, and so he sought to prove his value through his creative talent. He succeeded in his quest because his paintings garnered him critical acclaim and earned him the praise of the monarchs of his time. He even managed to earn a knighthood, and after …show more content…
Many artists before and after him have had egos that required a tremendous amount of nurturing. Duccio one of the first Renaissance painters was one such artist. He signed his Maesta, "Holy Mother of God, be thou the cause of peace for Siena and life to Duccio because he painted thee thus," which was an immodest manner of seeking praise. Also, the northern Renaissance painter Jan Van Eyck had a similar mindset. In his Arnolfini Portrait he signed the image Jan Van Eyck was here. He also signed and dated his painting Holy Face, which was a portrait of Jesus in order to make it appear as if he personally saw the Son of God. All of these artists occasionally let the privilege of being a sought after artist go to their heads.
Velazquez was an immensely talented artist who was smart enough to use his creativity to get ahead in life. Brown 's argument was correct; art is the noblest of professions. Even though it is not as prestigious as being a doctor, or a luxurious as simply being born into money, artists are important. They have the ability to have an adventurous profession that will give them ample opportunities to travel and meet elite people. What Vicente Carducho said and King Philip agreed with was utterly true. The art of painting is "noble and liberal,"