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  • I Juan de Pareja: The Story of a Great Painter and the Slave He Helped Become a Great Artist

I Juan de Pareja: The Story of a Great Painter and the Slave He Helped Become a Great Artist

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i juan de pareja

Winner of the 1966 Newbery Medal

When the great Velázquez was painting his masterpieces at the Spanish court in the seventeenth century, his colors were expertly mixed and his canvases carefully prepared by his slave, Juan de Pareja. In a vibrant novel which depicts both the beauty and the cruelty of the time and place, Elizabeth Borton de Treviño tells the story of Juan, who was born a slave and died an accomplished and respected artist.

Upon the death of his indulgent mistress in Seville, Juan de Pareja was uprooted from the only home he had known and placed in the charge of a vicious gypsy muleteer to be sent north to his mistress's nephew and heir, Diego Velázquez, who recognized at once the intelligence and gentle breeding which were to make Juan his indispensable assistant and companion―and his lifelong friend.

Through Juan's eyes the reader sees Velázquez's delightful family, his working habits and the character of the man, his relations with the shy yet devoted King Philip IV and with his fellow painters, Rubens and Murillo, the climate and customs of Spanish court life. When Velázquez discovers that he and Juan share a love for the art which is his very life, the painter proves his friendship in the most incredible fashion, for in those days it was forbidden by law for slaves to learn or practice the arts. Through the hardships of voyages to Italy, through the illnesses of Velázquez, Juan de Pareja loyally serves until the death of the painter in 1660.---from the publisher

192 pages                              978-0374335311                       Ages 10-15

Keywords:  Spanish, Latino, Latinx, Latina, diversity, diverse books, slavery, art, artist, friends, friendship, 10 year old, 11 year old, 12 year old, 13 year old, biographical fiction, prejudice, racism, Europe, 17th century, Newbery Medal

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Winner of the 1966 Newbery Medal An ALA Notable Book A New York Times Best Juvenile Book of the YearJuan is the slave of the great Spanish painter Diego Valazquez and helps his master in his studio by preparing paints and stretching canvases. But Juan is an artist, too: he has taught himself by watching his master's technique. Although such work is forbidden by slaves, Jaun cannot keep his secret any longer.What will happen when the truth is known?---from the publisher

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