The painting "Portrait of Doña María Luisa Gonzaga Foncerrada y Labarrieta", by renowed Mexican painter José María Vázquez, a painting teacher who worked the San Carlos Academy, the first established fine art academy in America. In this portrait, José María Vázquez depicts Doña María Luisa Gonzaga Foncerrada y Labarrieta, sitting and turned lightly towards the viewer. The lady in the portrait wears an elegant white waist dress, decorated with embroidery and lace that reflect the neoclassical fashion of the early 19th century. Draped over her shoulders is a red shawl, while her jewelry , due to the easy assumption highlights her social status. In one hand she holds a closed fan, while the other rests on a table covered with a red tablecloth, where a vase of roses, a symbol associated with beauty and virtue is also visible.
The artwork is an idealized representation of the model's features, in addition to the observations it has. Specially, the artist pays special attention to the work, in which he combines an idealized representation, along with a careful observation of the model’s features. Vázquez pays special attention to the texture of the fabrics, and the sparkle of the jewelry, as well as the light’s subtle effects that shape the face and hands. Trained at the Royal Academy of San Carlos, the artist was one of the leading portraitists of the Neoclassical period in Mexico. His mastery of drawing and composition, along with his interest in capturing the individuality of his subjects, made his portraits a benchmark of academic painting in the early 19th century.
The artist has done a beautiful work on the whole figure by giving it subtle expressions on the face. The jewellery being off white, balances well on her tone. The background is kind of blurred so all the focus falls upon the subject. Its artistry in the clothes she wore shows even the fabric of the outfit.
