In several museums we use to see paintings about saints, biblical events, Jesus or the Virgin Mary. But if you have a tour at the Vatican Museums in Rome you may discover that not always it works in this way.

In the course of the XVII century a new fashion, imported from the artists of Northern Europe, settled in Italy and in Rome: the genre painting. What is it? Painters began to choose new subjects, especially peasants, flowers, fruit, scenes of daily life. In other words, nothing to do with the aura of sacredness that the official  commissioning wanted. It is not a coincidence, then, that it was difficult to see a pope, a cardinal or a gentleman to call these artists by commissioning their works of art. After all the genre painting was considered inferior, not only in respect to the depiction of sacred subjects, or mythological, but also in relation to portraiture. This one was, over the years, considered to a level below that which the canonical sense of beauty of the time required. Not only that, because it was that official client, as I said before, in particular, princes, kings, emperors, pontiffs, or the lords of the high nobility, which in a sense generated a certain generated a type of supply.

It is not a coincidence, therefore, that the genre painting developed in those countries, especially in North Europe, where a new social class appeared in the world: the bourgeoisie. A new mode of artistic expression based on the daily experiences, popular and understandable to many, and that is suitable for a new social class. Unfortunately, however, where the high bourgeoisie of Northern Europe was completely crushed by the nobility of the roman mold, for artists who ventured into the genre painting was not easy to survive, in view of the lack of perspective, demand and reputation. For this reason, often these foreign painters could be very poor. It seems that some arrived even to sell their work directly to the street, and at a low price. Despite this, however, is great to be able to enjoy these fruits, these flowers, and this nature, so realistic, so much so that seem made to be touched with the hand, and enjoyed. A realism so violent that was not understood by many people...