Genaro Pérez, retratista “hispánico” de Córdoba de la Nueva Andalucía (Argentina)

Abstract

This article attempts to analize the causes of the social consecration of the artist, judge and theologian Genaro Pérez as the most representative of the so-called “Precursors of the Art of Córdoba”, highlighting the ethnic, economic and religious components present in the artistic field. Among other things, it intended to reveal some matters that “naturalized” the Spanish school of painting to which Pérez allegedly adscribed.
The paper focuses on one of the genres used by the painter that most contributed to his reputation, the portrait. The analysis goes through different bodily signs, such as hair or clothing, trying to reconstruct from the observation of gestures, mind or life style of the people portrayed, belonging to the same social group as the painter, the old deep-rooted Spanish families.