Italian school; XVIII century.

Italian school; XVIII century.
"Popular characters".
Oil on canvas glued to board.
It presents faults in the pictorial surface.
Measurements: 22 x 15,5 cm.
Pair of portraits of costumbrista character. In both cases a male character of bust is presented. By the clothes it is possible to intuit that they are archetypes that represent a low social class. Pictorially, the brushstroke and the use of a coppery tonality in the tones show us works of great emotional expressiveness.
In the 17th century a remarkable tradition of satirical portraits began to develop, which played an essential role in the artistic as well as in the social and cultural spheres. These portraits, often charged with irony, mockery or sharp moral criticism, were a powerful tool for commenting on human behavior, portraying the vices, weaknesses or hypocrisy of different sectors of society. Unlike the solemn or idealized portrait, which sought to exalt the portrayed, the satirical portrait inverted this logic: its objective was to expose the ridiculous, expose the grotesque or humorously denounce character flaws. These portraits not only reflect artistic mastery but also a cultural sensibility deeply linked to the social transformations of the time: the rise of an enlightened bourgeoisie, criticism of ecclesiastical or noble power, and the tension between the moral ideal and everyday reality. In short, the satirical portraits of the Flemish 17th century are an exemplary example of the way in which art could operate as a critical mirror of its time, using humor and visual acuity as forms of knowledge and social commentary.