Resumen de Representation of People in Tapestry Cartoons of El Pardo Palace: In the context of modernisation policies under Charles III
This study focuses on the representation of people in the tapestries of El Pardo palace. We will specifically identify the policies implemented by Charles III to modernise the capital, and subsequently examine how the artists represented the people of Madrid in tapestry cartoons made for the court. Charles III chose to decorate the palaces of El Pardo and El Escorial with scenes depicting the people of Madrid. The nobles admired people's costumes and behaviour and imitated their style. However, the King and the court attempted to control various aspects people's lives through regulations and urbanization projects in Madrid. These policies sometimes clashed with people's traditional lifestyle and culture, and even triggered riots. By analysing the images of "Majo, Maja", and street vendors depicted in the tapestry cartoons in this social context, we will reveal the image of the plebeian that Charles III and the enlightened elite expected. To comply with the wishes and expectations of the court, the artists chose their settings cautiously while depicting the people and never portrayed the real downtown. José del Castillo, for example, represented the urbanisation projects of Charles III in his cartoons, while Ramón Bayeu focused on scenes of suburban villages and nature. Further, the cartoons represented not only the lower classes but also the middle and upper classes; however, the artists of the court mantained the individual identities of the classes and highlighted the subtle distance and differences between them. This 'idealisation' of people is a common feature of the works of Castillo, the Bayeu, and Goya.
