Spanish school; end of the 19th century.

Spanish school; late 19th century.
"Drinker".
Oil on canvas.
Presents inscription on the back and apocryphal signature.
Measurements: 60 x 46 cm; 77 x 63.5 cm (frame).
It is a work perfectly framed within the naturalistic baroque, heir of José de Ribera, starring a totally earthly man, with a face far from any idealization, furrowed by deep wrinkles ... . As usual within the naturalistic baroque, the composition is simple and clear, with the character in the foreground against a neutral and dark background that enhances his physical presence. Apart from the human model and this composition, the lighting is also clearly naturalistic, a tenebrism derived directly from Ribera that is based on an artificial, directed spotlight. The chromatism is also typical of this school, very limited around ochre, earthy and crimson, reflecting a warm and naturalistic atmosphere. This oil on canvas presents a satirical scene in which the figure looks at the spectator with a buffoonish attitude. It is a character closer to naturalism, which is also present in the attention to the qualities of the objects, such as the pitcher or the white blouse.
The genre painting in general, enclosed a moral lesson sometimes barely hidden. Picturesque and satirical scenes, with rough peasants indulging in pleasures, as well as scenes of citizens conversing or dancing, have long been recognized as negative moral examples that also appear as metaphors in the popular moralizing literature of the time. In this type of painting the characters will be the absolute protagonists, and more especially their faces and expressions. They are also works derived from naturalism, worked in reduced chromatisms, around earthy colors, ochers, carmines, etc.