French school; 18th century.
"Bust of a gentleman.
Oil on canvas. Re-coloured.
It has repainting and restorations.
It has a frame with a break in the upper corner.
Measurements: 60,5 x 50 cm; 79,5 x 70,5 cm (frame).
In the present canvas we are in front of the representation of a young man of low social status, whose expressive face becomes the absolute centre of the image, a portrait of great psychological depth worked by means of an exceptional technique of naturalistic inheritance. The overall intonation, very restrained and warm, also reveals great sobriety; it revolves around earthy and ochre tones, punctuated by touches of very nuanced white. The lighting, on the other hand, is not as contrasting as in Caravaggist naturalism and, although it is of great formal importance, excessive contrasts are avoided. Nevertheless, it is a key element in the modelling of the face and its details,
Portraiture became the leading genre par excellence in French painting as a result of the new social structures that were established in the Western world during this century, embodying the ultimate expression of the transformation in the taste and mentality of the new clientele that emerged among the nobility and the wealthy gentry, who were to take the reins of history in this period. While official circles gave precedence to other artistic genres, such as history painting, and the incipient collectors encouraged the profusion of genre paintings, portraits were in great demand for paintings intended 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 privacy of a studio, in the everyday warmth of a family cabinet or presiding over the main rooms of the house.