Diego Rodríguez de Silva y Velázquez

9.9

A Spanish painter from the 1600s who is famous for portraits

proper noun

: Diego Rodríguez de Silva y Velázquez

Diego Rodríguez de Silva y Velázquez is best known for his masterpiece, 'Las Meninas'.

Examples

The famous artist Diego Rodríguez de Silva y Velázquez painted many royal portraits.
Art historians regard Diego Rodríguez de Silva y Velázquez as a central figure in the Spanish Golden Age.
Works by Diego Rodríguez de Silva y Velázquez are displayed in museums worldwide.
Is Diego Rodríguez de Silva y Velázquez your favorite painter?
Diego Rodríguez de Silva y Velázquez is renowned for his ability to capture the essence of his subjects in his portraits.
Many art enthusiasts consider Diego Rodríguez de Silva y Velázquez to be the greatest Spanish painter of all time.
The influence of Diego Rodríguez de Silva y Velázquez can still be seen in modern portraiture today.

Synonyms

Velazquez

vsDiego Rodríguez de Silva y Velázquez

1 8.6

A famous Spanish painter from the 1600s who painted very realistic portraits

focuses on portrait work and clear influence on western art

Surface Forms

Diego Rodríguez de Silva y Velázquez main

Morphology

Diego + Rodríguez + de + Silva + y + Velázquez

This is a full personal name (a proper noun) composed of given and family names plus Spanish particles ('de', 'y'), so knowing the constituent words does not yield the information that this is a 17th‑century Spanish painter or his significance. Proper names are non-compositional for referential/biographical information, so a B1 learner who only knows the constituent words would not be able to infer the MWE's meaning.

Etymology

Diego Rodríguez de Silva y Velázquez was a famous Spanish painter in the 1600s who worked as the royal painter for King Philip IV and painted very life-like portraits. His best known work is the painting 'Las Meninas', and because of these royal, true-to-life portraits he is remembered as one of the most important portrait artists in history.