Description
FRANCESCO BERTOSI (Italy, first half of the 17th century). "Portrait of Cardinal Pedro Fonseca", ca. 1627. Oil on canvas. Relined. Signed. Measurements: 137 x 100 cm. In this canvas the cardinal Pedro Fonstseca is represented dressed with all the symbols of his rank, with the biretta on his head and wearing the scarlet cardinal's chasuble. In the background is a large purple drapery gathered in the upper right corner. All these symbolic and scenographic elements remain in the background, as the painter focuses the viewer's attention and attention on the figure's face. His expression is friendly and open despite his rigid posture; he looks directly at us and smiles. The chromaticism, based around the scarlet red tones of the cardinal's clothing, is combined with the highly nuanced whites and the ochre and earthy tones of the background, unified under a naturalistic atmosphere. A fundamental aspect of 17th-century portraiture is to convey the personality and mood of the sitter, which was not expressed in earlier periods that focused exclusively on external appearance. Naturalism advocated the non-idealisation of the countenance. The Cardinal's face is directly illuminated, his features are modelled by means of a gentle gradation of light and shade, and the brushstroke becomes shorter and more controlled, more descriptive and closer to the drawing. In contrast to the exuberant and elegant portraiture, of virtuoso and elaborate execution, in the early 17th century a general reaction was unleashed, based on compositional austerity and operational sobriety. Thus, in contrast to the previous century's desire to show off virtuosity, Baroque portraitists revived the earlier models in a more sober and solid manner, focusing on the characterisation of the figures, the elegance of the poses and the delicate capturing of the qualities of the different objects. The fact that this genre of painting developed in larger cities was due to the commercial flourishing of these cities. This favoured the beginnings of an incipient bourgeoisie, which combined wealth to establish itself in a higher social rank and thus favoured the development of a pictorial genre that favoured pomp and personal recognition, such as portraiture.
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FRANCESCO BERTOSI (Italy, first half of the 17th century). "Portrait of Cardinal Pedro Fonseca", ca. 1627. Oil on canvas. Relined. Signed. Measurements: 137 x 100 cm. In this canvas the cardinal Pedro Fonstseca is represented dressed with all the symbols of his rank, with the biretta on his head and wearing the scarlet cardinal's chasuble. In the background is a large purple drapery gathered in the upper right corner. All these symbolic and scenographic elements remain in the background, as the painter focuses the viewer's attention and attention on the figure's face. His expression is friendly and open despite his rigid posture; he looks directly at us and smiles. The chromaticism, based around the scarlet red tones of the cardinal's clothing, is combined with the highly nuanced whites and the ochre and earthy tones of the background, unified under a naturalistic atmosphere. A fundamental aspect of 17th-century portraiture is to convey the personality and mood of the sitter, which was not expressed in earlier periods that focused exclusively on external appearance. Naturalism advocated the non-idealisation of the countenance. The Cardinal's face is directly illuminated, his features are modelled by means of a gentle gradation of light and shade, and the brushstroke becomes shorter and more controlled, more descriptive and closer to the drawing. In contrast to the exuberant and elegant portraiture, of virtuoso and elaborate execution, in the early 17th century a general reaction was unleashed, based on compositional austerity and operational sobriety. Thus, in contrast to the previous century's desire to show off virtuosity, Baroque portraitists revived the earlier models in a more sober and solid manner, focusing on the characterisation of the figures, the elegance of the poses and the delicate capturing of the qualities of the different objects. The fact that this genre of painting developed in larger cities was due to the commercial flourishing of these cities. This favoured the beginnings of an incipient bourgeoisie, which combined wealth to establish itself in a higher social rank and thus favoured the development of a pictorial genre that favoured pomp and personal recognition, such as portraiture.
