Paintings make frequent appearances throughout Rosaura because of Camilo’s profession. He also makes them a centerpiece in his story about Rosa. Each character has a different relationship with paintings; Mrs. Milagros disregards them entirely, Eufrasia discerns Camilo’s lack of skill as a painter, and Camilo himself works on them but despises them at the same time. As with many other motifs throughout the book, their significance shifts between each testimony.

The most thorough discussion of paintings, however, occurs during Camilo’s conversation with the police inspector. In that conversation, he professes to despise his own work and the world of contemporary art in general, asserting that “All modern painting is phony” (149). Though this is an accusation directed at others, the idea of “phoniness” is also reflected in Camilo’s artistic work. Revealing himself to be a forger who specializes in imitating the paintings of English masters like Reynolds, Camilo makes a career out of using his artistic skills to deceive others. Rather than being purely aesthetic or decorative objects, therefore, the paintings take on a role as agents of deception. Eufrasia is the only other character who knows Camilo is a fraud, and she “could never manage to understand how Mr.