The Dwarf
by CERUTI, Giacomo, Oil on canvas, 130 x 180 cm
The immediacy of this figure is accentuated by the low viewpoint and the aggressively realistic style - evident as much in the psychological profile of the individual as in the formal depiction of details of costume and setting. (Note the view of a farm village in the background, and a man defecating in the middle of the road.) The source of inspiration for Ceruti was the Beggars series of prints by Jacques Callot.