These three color lithographs (printed in 1996 for Grafos Verlag) transport the viewer straight into the world of this great painter. The motifs are characteristic and represent extensive series: the Gentleman, the Infanta and a representative of the clergy: Obisbo (Bishop).

Satire, concealed and obvious caricaturization of the authorities. The court is taken to task, from the historical idealized figure of the nobleman, cavalry captain and 'Gentleman' (Caballero); the princess, the king's daughter, the 'Infanta'; all the way to the clergy, evident in his portrait of a bishop, Obispo. Saura dedicated an entire series of graphics to the clergy that literally and intentionally ends in black humor.

Saura portraits of portraits. The portrait of the Caballero is very similar to the painting of Philip II from 1989. In both there is the same hat, the same long face. The 'imaginary portraits' of Felipe II, a monstrous reality omnipresent in Spanish history, 'Felipe II' by Sánchez Coello.

Critical portraiture was a tradition rooted in the Spanish court. What the court jester took care of on lower levels, the court painter did as well, although often covertly. These works were often the best. Neither Velázquez nor Goya evaded their duty of painting with a critical eye. Their honesty did not stop at unmasking courtly society. With this series, Saura can be considered, among other things, a sharp critic of the Franco regime.

In early 1960, he paints large format works on the Infanta. One comment on one of Saura's Infanta portraits reads thus: 'We are shown a fragile and delicate princess of the Spanish court of the House of Austria.' The Infanta and the Caballero are part of the image of Spanish festivals, and in popular art, not only in early Andalusian romances and flamenco songs, the princess was praised and celebrated. Her appearance was that of an idol of power and charm.

Saura's portraits are as dramatic as they are revealing. They constitute an organic continuum. This is amply confirmed in his portrait series on 'Damas' (Ladies) with their poetic names, including Brigitte Bardot and Dora Maar, from his 'retrats imaginaris' (Imaginary Portraits) of El Greco, Tintoretto, Franz Hals and a great many anonymous figures, to Goya and the incredible portraits of Goya's dog and the 'Ecce Homo' of the crucifixion scene. And now we are in the heart of his portraiture, portraits with a mask of an identity that hides the true spirit of person. ek