Velázquez addresses the details of many individuals by painting the setting across two halves, where the battle takes place in the background.
The surrender portion of the scene takes place in the foreground, with the leading individuals placed clearly in the center.
The focus of the composition is in the foreground, where the exchange of the keys is shown in the very front, while in the background, the smoky sky shows evidence of destruction and death.

The painting depicts many Spanish soldiers in comparison to the fewer number of Dutch soldiers, and the Dutch weapons appear to have been either destroyed, thrown away, or even surrendered as a result of their performance of the battle.
In contrast, the victorious Spaniards stand before a mass of upright lances on the right side of the composition.
José Ortega y Gasset described these lances as "the backbone of the entire picture and largely responsible for the impression of calm permeating this essentially lively scene."
Velázquez used effective perception and aerial techniques that support The Surrender of Breda as one of the finest works by Velázquez.
Velázquez addresses the details of many individuals by painting the setting across two halves, where the battle takes place in the background. The surrender portion of the scene takes place in the foreground, with the leading individuals placed clearly in the center. The focus of the composition is in the foreground, where the exchange of the keys is shown in the very front, while in the background, the smoky sky shows evidence of destruction and death.
The painting depicts many Spanish soldiers in comparison to the fewer number of Dutch soldiers, and the Dutch weapons appear to have been either destroyed, thrown away, or even surrendered as a result of their performance of the battle. In contrast, the victorious Spaniards stand before a mass of upright lances on the right side of the composition. José Ortega y Gasset described these lances as "the backbone of the entire picture and largely responsible for the impression of calm permeating this essentially lively scene." Velázquez used effective perception and aerial techniques that support The Surrender of Breda as one of the finest works by Velázquez.
The Surrender of Breda