Juan de pareja overview
...ave and devotes himself faithfully to the well-being of the Velázquez family. It is Pareja's powerful artistic impulse, however, that elevates the story above other tales of the self-sacrifice of a noble but unappreciated servant. As a child, he often decorates his mistress's letters with drawings; when exposed to Velázquez's genius, he yearns to be a painter, too. Unfortunately, it is against the law in Spain for a slave to learn any of the arts; he may be a craftsman but never an artist. Thus, Pareja learns to properly prepare paints and painting surfaces, as well as the many techniques for adjusting the light that falls on a model and for arranging the setting for a painting, but his master tells him that he cannot be taught how to actually paint what he sees. Pareja's desire to be an artist overwhelms him, and he sells the one object that means the most to him—his mother's earring—in order to buy paints and brushes. He practices in secret, learning from watching his master. Eventually Pareja can tolerate the deception no longer and shows his paintings to both Velázquez and King Philip. The developing relationship between master and slave leads to suspense because Pareja risks terrible punishment. As the two men's respect and affection for each other grows, Velázquez finally realizes that Pareja has risen above his station in life to become a valued friend and extraordinarily capable assistant. Velázquez then frees Pareja. In the history of Pareja and Velázquez, Trevino finds the basis for a story of a love that transcends racial prejudice and the inherent cruelty of slavery. She concludes that Pareja's unusual strength of character enables him to overcome the oppression of slavery to become a successful painter whose works now hang in major art museums. Pareja is a complicated character, so well-rounded that he seems alive. His complex mind is deeply involved in the major issues of his time, and these issues transform Pareja's experiences into universal problems and ideas that have meaning for people of all times. For instance, Pareja yearns for freedom because he dreads the insecurity all slaves must face: "will I be sold some day?" His fears of being unloved and abandoned reflect common concerns. Cruelty is a significant theme in the novel. Pareja is abused because he is a slave, and he learns that men sometimes commit acts of awful cruelty in the name of art. Although his noble master believes that art should always be truthful, Pareja learns that there can be no substitute for a good heart when making artistic judgments. When he and Velázquez visit Master Medina, who is famed for his religious sculptures, they learn that Medina has achieved the realistic expression of the crucified Christ by actually crucifying a condemned prisoner and copying his expression as he died in agony. This cruelty makes a mockery of the idea of "truth in art" by ignoring the truth of human suffering. Medina disregards the meaning of the crucifixion and of Christ's suffering—that people should treat each other with kindness. Similarly, slavery makes a mockery of a society's pretensions of justice. Religion and suffering are linked throughout I, Juan de Pareja. Pareja's fate depends almost exclusively on his owners' whims, and the church provides his sole source of security. He occasionally has trouble maintaining his faith during trying times, but Pareja always repents for his doubts and finds solace in reminding himself that Christ also suffered. One of the exceptional aspects of I, Juan de Pareja is the vividness of its secondary characters. Brother Isidro, for instance, appears for only a few pages at the start of the book, but Trevino gives life to this trustworthy and caring soldier who gives up his military career when a religious experience inspires him to dedicate his life to serving the poor. Carmelo, the muleteer, is alive with malice and greed. Dona Juana de Miranda, a sickly but loving woman, exhibits the devotion to her husband Velázquez that Pareja eventually develops. The king of Spain is a vital, moving character who displays touching affection for Velázquez; his actions profoundly affect the lives of Velázquez and Pareja. Another historical figure, the painter Bartolomé Esteban Murillo, not only offers Pareja religious comfort but offers unconditional friendship that is undisturbed by the racial and social prejudices of his day. Among these interesting characters move dwarfs, artists, servants, and tradespeople, some comic, others tragic, but all vividly portrayed. V LITERARY QUALITIES Just as Velázquez advocates an artistic truthfulness that reveals the inner life of the subject as well as the outward appearance, I, Juan de Pareja presents inner truths as well as accurate historical facts. In her Newbery Award acceptance speech, Trevino declared, "I, Juan de Pareja tells a story I learned, loved, and researched many years before it was written." Her careful research shows everywhere. Seville and its people are colorfully portrayed; life in Madrid is presented in complex detail, creating the sense that Trevino herself visited the city and knew the people. The careful reconstruction of seventeenth-century Spain provides a realistic backdrop for the events of Pareja's life. This well-constructed backdrop adds depth and believability to the novel's main characters. Trevino transcends the facts of history to examine the humanity of the people who made that history. Little is known about Velázquez's and Pareja's actual personalities, but the author constructs well-rounded characters from the skeletal facts available to her. Pareja narrates the novel from a perspective many years after Velázquez's death, when Pareja has become an esteemed painter himself. Although his narration makes him the novel's protagonist, Pareja shares much of the action with Velázquez, who is portrayed as idealistic and somewhat unworldly; although an artistic genius, he needs the level-headed Pareja to look after him. When Velázquez can find no work in Rome, Pareja saves him by boldly carrying Velázquez's portrait of him to art patrons. The resemblance between the painting and Pareja is so striking that the art patrons commission portraits of themselves, and Velázquez becomes celebrated even in Rome as a master portraitist. Trevino mentions many paintings during her story. These are not reproduced in the book, but a good look at copies of them will enhance the reading experience. For instance, one look at Velázquez's portrait of Pareja explains Trevino's interpretation of him as a special man. His eyes are strikingly bold and uncompromising; his bearing expresses his mastery over his own life. The rich colors and the delicate highlights make Pareja seem to project out from the surface of the painting. Trevino also depicts the events—some speculative—surrounding the creation of other paintings. VI SOCIAL SENSITIVITY I, Juan de Pareja is unrelenting in its portrayal of both the harsh and the fascinating aspects of 17th-century Spain. The author depicts Carmelo's cruelty and the many humiliations of slavery, including the treatment of Pareja as a plaything. The straightforward presentations of unpleasant scenes never approach sensationalism. The point that slavery is a cruel and terrible life seems worth the emphasis Trevino's honest portrayal gives it, and the novel's theme of love tempers the cruelty. The religious issues of I, Juan de Pareja may trouble some readers. The Catholic church is primarily shown in a positive light, and Pareja's religious faith serves as a source of strength in his hard life. Those who object to religious themes in their children's readings might object to this novel because religion is pervasive in the characters' liv...