Between caricature and irony in chosen paintings by Quentin Metsys

Abstract

For centuries the face has been considered an important part of the human body. Since ancient times until the present day a close connection with a man's inner (spiritual, psychological) properties has been ascribed to his face. The individual character of a person that finds its reflection in his/her physiognomy is a domain of interest of the portrait as a separate genre in art. The meanings that have been ascribed to the face have to a certain degree determined the ways it has been presented in European visual arts. The image of an ugly face has become one of the variants of presentation of this part of the body. Ugliness of the human face may have various forms. We know of presentations of deformed physiognomies, which resulted from experiencing strong emotions, as well as of images of evil figures to whom ugliness is ascribed as a feature resulting from the moral appraisal. One of the kinds of portrait compositions using deformed shapes of the face is caricature. It aims at ridiculing the presented person by deforming and magnifying its chosen features. Ugliness is in a way connected with humor. This connection can be seen, among others, in caricature that arouses amusement. Among the presentations that provoke laughter several varieties of humor may be distinguished. One of its kinds is irony. The main motif of the present paper is searching for this kind of humor, in which the element of criticism and of ridiculing another person can be seen. Two Quentin Metsys’s paintings were analyzed: „Ecce homo” from the Palazzo Ducale in Venice and „A Grotesque Old Woman” from the National Museum in London. Some traits of irony that are suggested in these works are an inspiration for further studies in this field.