I, Juan de Pareja

As Diego continues to paint the King and his court, a tentative friendship forms between Diego and his patron. Juan notices the King’s irregular jaw and lisping voice, and he pities his deep shyness. Juan often attends the King’s sittings, but the King ignores him, tending instead to a lapdog. Diego and the King also rarely talk, and Diego criticizes conversation as superficial, preferring instead to connect through his artwork. 

Juan continues to practice his own painting, experimenting with color in secret. Cristobal and the other apprentices leave, but new students take their place. Juan jumps forward 14 years, to the arrival of Juan Bautista del Mazo, a handsome 20-year-old art student who enrolls in Diego’s studio. One day, Paquita visits the studio as Diego, Juan, and Juan Bautista work. Fully matured and delicately beautiful, she catches Juan Bautista’s eye almost immediately, and he hers. Juan appreciates Paquita for her gentle nature and notes her particular attention to animals and plants. One afternoon, as Juan joins her on an errand, Paquita purchases a small plant with red flowers. 

Eventually, Juan Bautista approaches Juan and asks him to deliver a note to Paquita. Juan, however, anticipates trouble and refuses. When Paquita asks instead, he relents and begins to ferry their love notes, which always include a red petal from Paquita’s plant. Often, the lovers meet in the palace’s desolate art galleries, though Juan dutifully watches from afar. As love enhances Paquita’s radiance, Diego suddenly decides that she’s ready to marry. He plans to paint her so that she might court their cousins in Portugal. Though privately dismayed, Paquita consents to sit for her father. As the work progresses, Juan notices that Diego avoids painting Paquita’s face, perhaps troubled by its enigma. 

Paquita and Juan Bautista continue to use Juan to arrange their meetings, to the latter’s chagrin. One day, Diego spies a note in Juan’s hand and asks to read it. Unable to refuse, Juan consents. After inspecting both the note and its red flower, Diego remains calm but corrects Paquita’s spelling and marks the note with a red “V,” signifying that he has read it. He also paints a small red flower on the note, as the original flower has withered, and orders Juan to bring it to Juan Bautista as planned. Juan delivers the note, though he wonders about Diego’s intentions. That evening, Diego and Juana bestow their blessing as Paquita and Juan Bautista cry happily. Diego completes his portrait of Paquita, adding detail to her face and embellishing her sash with a small red flower.

A year after Paquita’s wedding to Juan Bautista, Juan attends Diego as he travels north at the King’s invitation. Juan worries about leaving behind his drawings and paintings, dreading that they might be discovered. Diego supplies him with a custom safe, and Juan stores his art alongside other valuables. 

Juan wishes that he could avoid the trip, as it centers around a royal hunting excursion. He cringes at any cruelty toward animals, refusing to harm even a mouse. Diego does not plan to hunt himself but will paint the King in his hunting costume, surrounded by his quarry. Unable to refuse, Juan accompanies Diego, carrying his paints and brushes through the forest. When Diego notices Juan’s sullenness, he confesses his feelings about hunting, and Diego admits that he also dislikes dead animals but suppresses his emotions in the interest of true, objective art. 

One day, Juan notices that the King’s dog, Corso, looks sick. Unable to address the King directly, Juan speaks through Diego, who relays Juan’s concerns. The King allows Juan to tend to Corso. After examining him, Juan guesses that he has a parasite in his liver. To help Corso eject the parasite, Juan administers a brew of herbs, which works promptly. For his services, the King offers Juan a bag of ducats, which Diego lets him keep. 

After hunting, Diego turns his attention to the palace’s little people, whom the King retains as a source of amusement. Often, they act in plays or entertain the King’s children. Juan befriends one of them, Francisco Lezcano, and often massages his legs to ease his chronic muscle pain. Lezcano observes that he and Juan share a similar social position, owing to their outward appearance. Though Lezcano is bitter, Juan trusts God’s judgment, reminding Lezcano that “he who humbles himself shall be lifted up” (113). Encouraged to unburden himself, Juan tells Lezcano about his secret painting. Lezcano pats his hand sympathetically. 

Diego continues to paint the court’s resident little people, accurately rendering their disabilities. Juan initially finds the paintings cruel, but years later, he concedes that only Diego’s faithfulness could convey the sitters’ suffering.

Diego continues in his studio, only occasionally accepting new apprentices. One day, a young man approaches riding a tired mule. Simply dressed, he carries only extra clothes, painting supplies, a guitar, and letters of introduction. When Juan greets him, the man introduces himself as Bartolomé Esteban Murillo and asks to meet with Diego, hoping to begin an apprenticeship. Before Juan ushers him inside, Murillo takes time to care for his mule, which earns Juan’s respect. Much to Juan’s surprise, Murillo addresses him as “Señor Pareja.”

Inside the studio, Murillo rushes to Diego, falling on his knees. He eventually presents his letters of introduction and produces a sample of his art for Diego’s inspection. Diego looks over Murillo’s work, which depicts mostly saints and angels. When Diego correctly surmises that Murillo paints from live models, Murillo explains that he often approaches small children or random strangers, as “Christ is in each one of us” (119). Diego accepts Murillo as his new apprentice, and he works alongside Diego, learning from his technique. His merry, open-hearted nature endears him to the entire household. Diego begins inviting live models to work in the studio. While Murillo sees each person’s common connection to Christ, Diego appreciates their individuality. 

In the meantime, Juan resumes painting, still stealing small amounts of color from Diego’s palette. He accompanies Murillo, a devout Christian, to Mass. Though Murillo receives Communion, Juan abstains, fearing that his deceit makes him unworthy. Murillo encourages Juan to confess his sins. Juan appreciates Murillo’s advice, noting that Murillo still honors him as “Señor Pareja” or “Juan” and never resorts to the diminutive “Juanico.”

Juan uses his earnings from the King to buy more supplies, including a quality canvas. As he worries over his sins, he begins painting the Virgin Mary, using techniques that he has gleaned from Diego’s paintings. However, as he works, a strange will overtakes him, and he paints the Virgin Mary as a Black woman. At first, Juan considers his work with pride but then turns from it in shame, fearing that he has offended God. 

When Diego falls ill with a headache, Juan takes the opportunity to show Murillo his painting. Murillo looks over it carefully, and together, he and Juan seek somewhere private to talk. Murillo admires the painting’s excellent technique and wonders why Juan is so conflicted. When Juan reminds Murillo that enslaved people are forbidden from creating art, Murillo ultimately argues that Juan has not broken the law. Juan still hesitates to attend confession, fearing that a priest will demand he cease his painting. Murillo pushes back, asking Juan if it’s a sin to paint or to be enslaved. Juan characterizes slavery as an injustice, not a sin, and hopes that it will be rectified in Heaven. Furthermore, Murillo points out that the priest does not care if Juan is enslaved and insists that his painting need not be considered a sin. Encouraged, Juan goes to confession. He does not mention his painting, but he does confess to stealing Diego’s paint and vows to stop immediately.

As he and Murillo return home, Juan confesses that he wishes he could reveal his painting to Diego, but Murillo cautions him to wait for the right moment. When Juan asks Murillo if it was a mistake to depict the Virgin Mary as a Black woman, Murillo says no, explaining that “our Lord appears in many forms to loving Christian souls” (128). Spiritually content, Juan experiences true happiness.