Spanish school of the late nineteenth century.

Spanish school of the late nineteenth century.
"Card Thrower".
Oil on canvas.
Signature not recognizable.
It presents a small damage in the stretcher frame.
Measurements: 62 x 78 cm; 82 x 98 cm (frame).

Oil painting of intense psychological load and notable technical virtuosity, characteristic of the pictorial naturalism of the XIX century. The scene takes place in a gloomy interior, where a gypsy woman, with a tanned face and penetrating gaze, occupies the center of the composition. She wears a scarf on her head and a floral scarf over her shoulders, described with great attention to detail in the folds, textures and chromatic nuances. With his face resting on one hand, he observes with astuteness and a certain irony the elegant young man in front of him, dressed in a black cloak and hat, who holds some cards and seems to consult him about his destiny.

Between the two characters, an elderly woman dressed in black, located slightly in the background, leers at the scene, adding a note of mystery and narrative tension.

The naturalism of the work is evident in the meticulous representation of the faces and hands, in the hallmarks of light and shadow, and in the psychological depth that the painter imprints on each figure: the card shooter conveys experience and mastery; the young man, on the other hand, appears with a lively, expectant face of innocence and desire, marked by a red-haired beard and full lips.

The composition, closed, theatrical and full of atmosphere, reflects the nineteenth-century taste for genre scenes with a narrative and social background.