Kepa Garraza

Kepa Garraza - Charles III

Technique: Compressed charcoal on paper

Artist Biography: Kepa Garraza is a Spanish artist born in 1979 in San Sebastian. He trained at the School of Fine Arts in Leioa and at the Faculty of Fine Arts at the University of the Basque Country. Currently, he works in his studio in Bilbao.Garraza's work focuses on painting and sculpture, using materials such as iron, wood and marble. His style is characterized by abstraction and geometry, often employing repetitive forms and solid colors. He has also worked with installations and public art, creating monumental pieces that interact with their surroundings.In his artistic career, Garraza has received numerous awards and recognitions, including First Prize in the XIV BMW Painting Competition in 2002, the Gure Artea Award at the Guipúzcoa Art Biennial in 2004, and the Sculpture Award at the XXXI Getxo Art Show in 2013.His work has been exhibited in various galleries and museums both nationally and internationally, including the Victor Lope Gallery in Barcelona, the Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía in Madrid, and the Venice Biennale in Italy.

 

This wonderful portrait of Charles III painted by Raphael Mengs is a true example of style and propagandistic vocation. The canvas shows the sovereign in armor, standing out against a background of a palatial interior. The left hand describes an imperative gesture and in the right hand he holds the baton of command. On the chest stand out several insignia that symbolize the military authority of the monarch. On a table stands out a royal cape and the ermine mantle. All these elements together symbolize the absolute power of the monarch, who exercises his sovereignty over the people with judgment and firmness. Charles III was indeed an absolute monarch. He knew how to centralize power effectively, cutting the privileges of the nobility and the clergy. In addition, he created an efficient administration that meant a great advance for a backward country impoverished by constant wars and the delirious economic policies of his predecessors. He modernized the State and the administrations and was, in the end, a perfect example of an enlightened despot. His descendants did not have the same disposition and although they behaved like true despots, they did not know how to repeat the successes of Carlos. The government of the country was delegated to careerists, useless ministers and reckless military men. In short, they did not know or did not want to entrust the tasks of government to capable and reform-minded people.