Spanish school; circa 1820.

Spanish school; circa 1820. "Portrait of a clergyman. Oil on canvas. Relined Presents new stretcher. Measurements: 56,5 x 47,5 cm. In this work the painter offers us a portrait of descriptive character, in which an elderly man is presented, magnificently captured in his psychology by the author. It is a long bust portrait, in which the figure is set against a neutral background of ochre tones, which monumentalises the figure and invites the viewer to focus all his attention on the subject. The piece is notable for its realism, which is particularly evident in the wrinkles on the face and the way in which the knight has been captured. As in the rest of Europe, portraiture became the genre that gained most prominence due to the excellence of Spanish painting, as a consequence 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 would take the reins of history in this period. This context gave rise to the flourishing of great portraitists such as Rafael Tegeo Díaz (Murcia, 1798-Madrid, 1856), or the Madrazo family, who also excelled in this genre. These authors left their mark on the aesthetics of portraiture, as can be seen in this work.