French school of the 20th century

French school of the 20th century.
Set of 20 caricatures.
Pastel on paper.
With apocryphal signature.
Measurements: 20 x 27 cm (the smallest), 30 x 38 cm (the largest).

These caricatures function as small graphic testimonies of a time when humorous portraits were part of social entertainment. They were common in cafés and fairs, where itinerant artists made quick portraits of customers for a few coins. They could also have been part of a personal collection, perhaps of a caricaturist who worked in local publications or simply portrayed his acquaintances.

Their value lies not so much in their academic precision, but in their spontaneity, in their ability to capture with a few lines the essence of a face, of an attitude. As a whole, they are a visual album of the French spirit of the 20th century, that which lives between the melancholy of tobacco and the laughter shared with a glass of wine.