I Juan de Pareja

The Story of a Great Painter and the Slave He Helped Become an Artist



Juan is the slave of the great Spanish painter Diego Velazquez and helps his master in his studio by preparing paints and sketching canvases. But Juan is an artist, too; he has taught himself by watching his master's technique. Although such work is forbidden to slaves, Juan cannot keep his secret any longer. What will happen whenthe truth is known?



Based on the life of Juan de Pareja, the black assistant to the 17th-century Spanish painter Velazquez.
Newbery Medal Book.