Final answer:
The false statement about Diego Velázquez's painting techniques is that he was known for his meticulous attention to detail, as his style actually embraced loose brushwork and atmospheric effects.
Step-by-step explanation:
The statement concerning Diego Velázquez's painting techniques that is false is B. Velázquez was known for his meticulous attention to detail. While Velázquez was indeed a master of detail, his style was characterized by the use of loose brushstrokes and varied textures, rather than meticulous detail across the entire work. Velázquez did sharpen detail selectively to draw attention to focal points within his compositions, but he also employed techniques like blurring backgrounds to create depth (statement C) and was influenced by study of Venetian painters (statement D), which manifested in his use of color.
Velázquez's mastery of chiaroscuro helped him achieve dramatic contrasts of light and dark, enhancing the three-dimensional feeling in his paintings. His technique of shifting multiple focal points and employing slashed diagonals contributed to guiding the viewer's eyes through the painting. Despite his mastery and his ability at depicting accurate detail, his overall approach leans more toward a broader, more atmospheric effect rather than minute, meticulous detail in every aspect of the work.