Diego Velazquez's most famous painting...

"Las Meninas", one of the most famous of Velazquez's paintings, was comissioned as a portrait of the Spanish Royal family. Instead, it is the artist's statement about the personalities, relationships and ironies of that family.

Notice how the king and queen are actually placed far in the back, reflected in a mirror..... in fact, the painting is meant  to place  YOU as the king and queen.

The doll-like girl in the middle is their daughter, with her "ladies in wait" on either side. 

The artist himself is shown in the painting, wearing the red seal of his rank proudly on his chest.

Notice how the background shapes line up on diagonals, aimed at the daughter? See how the artist leads you into and through the painting-