I, Juan de Pareja

I did not like this book written by Elizabeth Borton de Treviño and based on a true story. During the 17th century when there were great painters like Rembrandt, Spain’s famous painter was Diego Velásquez. He owned an African slave named Juan who would help his master in his studio by preparing paints and stretching canvases. Juan was taught to read as a child and developed a love of art, discovering his own talent. At the time Spain prohibited slaves from being artists, so Velásquez freed him, but allowed him to stay on as an apprentice.

The book won a Newberry Medal in 1966. Juan de Pareja lived from 1606 to 1670. His mother was also a slave. In 1650, Diego Velázquez made an oil painting portrait of Juan. Pareja's most famous work is "The Calling of Saint Matthew" painted in 1661 and it is on display in Madrid.