El picador

A middle-aged picador (a bullfighter's assistant) is sitting, with one arm supported on the back of the wooden chair while the other hand holds the castoreño (hat) resting on his leg. The person is looking fixedly at the spectator while he holds an almost impercetible cigar in his lips.

Parladé has captured the noble gesture of a professional of festivities who is confident of his experience. His shiny forehead, face turned red from the effort and disheveled hair seem to announce the end of the performance. The white head betrays a tireless worker. The intensity of the light slowly decends on the scene, from the shine on his forehead to the shadow on the back of the chair. The wall that encloses the space is also lighter in the higher section than is usual, and therefore makes this work stand out because of its brightness compared with others on the same subject.

This time he used a warm palette of tones which bestows a special intensity on the canvas. As usual, he has resolved the features of the fabrics in a masterly fashion. In particular, the silver and rose jacket contrast with the Sienna-tone of the trousers. The bright red lining of the hat creates a point of focus that balances the whole painting.

This is possibly one of the pictures by Andrés Parladé in which he has best managed to show the inner world of his figures through expressivity. In short, the painter seems to want to show us a testament to work and dignity. As far as we know, it is the only painter in which a picador is the focus of attention, compared with numerous works in which the protagonists are the bullfighters Because of this and the power of the character represented, this may be a real portrait of a picador, rather than a work produced by the pose of a model.