Italian school; end of the 19th century.

Italian school; late nineteenth century.
"Portrait of Federico de Guelmi, major of Villazzano", 1926.
Oil on canvas.
Signed and dated in the lower right corner.
Measurements: 97 x 66 cm; 113 x 82 cm (frame).
The portrait became during this time the protagonist genre par excellence of the Italian painting, as a consequence of the new social structures that were implanted in the western world throughout this century, incarnating the maximum expression of the transformation of the taste and the mentality of the new clientele, arisen between the nobility and the high wealthy bourgeoisie, that would take the reins of the history in this period. While official circles gave preponderance to other artistic genres, such as history painting, and the incipient collecting encouraged the profusion of costume paintings, portraiture monopolized the demand for painting destined for the more private sphere, as a reflection of the value of the individual in the new society. This genre embodies the permanent presence of the image of its protagonists, to be enjoyed in the intimacy of a studio, in the daily warmth of a family cabinet or presiding over the main rooms of the house.