Painter Bamboccianti; Italy, ca. 1700.

Painter Bamboccianti; Italy, ca. 1700.
"Ruins of the time of Saturn".
Oil on panel.
It has an eighteenth-century frame in ebony veneer wood.
Measurements: 17 x 22,5 cm; 32 x 38 cm (frame).
The author has conceived this work is following the costumbrista models, although he introduces a new and discordant element such as the appearance of the ruin, which becomes the protagonist of the image, although its presence may go unnoticed. However, it is the primary characteristic that indicates that the work is related to romantic painting, with which they tried to replace the large canvases of historical or religious themes, giving greater prominence to the landscape. They intended that the pure landscape, almost without figures or totally devoid of them, reach the heroic significance of history painting. They were based on the idea that human feeling and nature should be complementary, one reflected in the other. That is, the landscape should arouse emotion and transmit ideas. Thus, landscape painters like the author of this painting tried to express their feelings through the landscape, instead of imitating it. The romantic landscape had two main aspects: the dramatic, with turbulent and fantastic views, and the naturalistic, which emphasized images of a peaceful and serene nature.
The Bamboccianti were genre painters, active in Rome from c. 1625 to the end of the 17th century. Most were Dutch and Flemish artists who brought to Italy the tradition of depicting costumbrist subjects, typical of 16th-century Dutch art. They generally created small cabinet works, or engravings of the daily life of the lower classes in Rome and its countryside. Despite their humble subject matter, the works found appreciation among elite collectors.