I, JUAN DE PAREJA

It is known that the 17th century Spanish painter Velasquez inherited the Negro slave Juan de Pareja, that Spanish law forbade slaves the practice of any art, that late in life Velasquez freed Juan, making him his assistant, and that many of the former slave's paintings now hang in European galleries. Using these few scattered facts the author has created a believable life of Juan de Pareja in his own words. The story that emerges is one of great friendship, of a dedication to art as Truth, and of the falsity inherent in slavery. While the organization tends toward the episodic and the writing lacks a strong narrative rhythm, the author has a fine sense of characterization; she captures the shades of personality in a few sentences while always sustaining the even tone of Juan's dignity and humility. In her afterword the author explains frankly where she has the backing of history and where she has made assumptions, and makes clear that she has written a novel rather than a biography simply because more facts weren't available.