Everything is Happening : Journey into a Painting

Michael Jacobs had been haunted by Velazquez's enigmatic masterwork for most of his adult life. In this fascinating book, Jacobs searches for the ultimate significance of the painting by following the trails of associations and memories from each individual character in the picture. From the Italian roots of the mysterious dwarf, to Mastiff breeders and the complex politics of Golden-Age Madrid, from the theatrical youth of Velazquez in Seville to the seedy bars of turbulent contemporary Spain, Jacobs dissolves the barriers between the past and the present, the real and the illusory. This is the last book by a versatile and highly revered writer. Tragically, Michael Jacobs died in January 2014.