Ensayo de una comedia 

Luis Paret y Alcázar created 'Ensayo de una comedia', meaning "Rehearsal of a Comedy" in eighteenth-century Spain. During this time, theater was a reflection of societal values and a stage for social critique. In this scene, the artist captures a moment of leisure and performance among the elite, but we can also see tensions of class and gender. Consider the women, adorned and arranged, central to the spectacle yet confined by social expectations. Their roles in the 'comedy' – and in life – were carefully scripted, their identities shaped by the male gaze and societal norms. What narratives are available to them? What is their role outside of the gaze of those around them? Paret y Alcázar, who navigated courtly life, infuses the painting with a sense of lived experience of the elite. What are the unspoken dramas unfolding beneath the surface of this 'comedy'? The performance invites us to reflect on the roles we play and the social structures that frame our own lives.