Joaquín Cánovas

JOAQUIN CANOVAS (Murcia, 1930-2006).
"Female portrait", Murcia, 1955.
Oil on canvas.
Signed, dated, located and dedicated in the upper right corner.
Measurements: 48 x 45 cm; 60 x 57 cm (frame).

In Europe the portrait became in the 19th century the protagonist genre par excellence of painting, as a consequence of the new social structures that were implanted in the Western world throughout this century, embodying the maximum expression of the transformation of taste and mentality of the new clientele, emerged between the nobility and the wealthy upper bourgeoisie, who would take the reins of 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.