Spanish school; 17th century.

Spanish school; 17th century. "Philosopher or prophet". Oil on canvas. Relined. It presents important faults. Measurements: 54 x 41 cm. In this portrait, the author has opted for a sober and simple composition, with the personage in the foreground in front of a dark and neutral background, directly illuminated by an expressive tenebrist light that, in addition, models the volumes. The main figure stands in profile to the viewer, gazing at a bundle in his hand. Both his reflective attitude and the detail of the paper he is holding suggest that he is a philosopher or scholar. This model of portraiture began in the 16th century, with the revival of classical sources, and subsequently became popular in the following century, becoming established in various schools of painting. Spanish Baroque painting is one of the most authentic and personal examples of art, because its conception and form of expression arose from the people and their deepest feelings. With the economy of the state in ruins, the nobility in decline and the high clergy heavily taxed, it was the monasteries, parishes and confraternities of clerics and laymen who promoted its development, with the works sometimes being financed by popular subscription. Sculpture was thus obliged to express the prevailing ideals in these environments, which were none other than religious ideals, at a time when Counter-Reformation doctrine demanded a realistic language from art so that the faithful could understand and identify with what was represented, and an expression endowed with an intense emotional content in order to increase the fervour and devotion of the people.