The Feast of Bacchus, Velázquez

Bacchus, the Greek god of wine, also known as Dionysus, is the focal point of this canvas, commissioned by King Philip IV of Spain. The idea to create a work with a mythological theme was inspired by the artist's admiration for the works of Caravaggio, among other Italian paintings. The canvas was painted in Madrid and aims to present a fusion between the Greek "deities" (the three characters on the left) and the mundane (the five on the right).

The significance of this work is that it marks a before and after in the painter's career, as it was Velázquez's first serious foray into the mythological genre, from which he would never stray until his last days.
The skill to execute the multiple portrait was drawn from his years in Seville as an expert portraitist and religious genre painter, where he composed works of high complexity.
The treatment of light on the protagonist and his companions highlights the main character and provides magnificent contrasts of light and shadow to the others. Naturalism is combined with realism and the mythological concept. This blend gives the work an exceedingly original character for the time.