Portrait of Francisco Goya by Vicente López y Portaña (1826)
This was painted shortly before Goya’s death in 1828
He lived until age 82.
The Four Seasons: Autumn 1786
Goya’s paintings are remarkable in their evolution over his lifetime. He gained recognition as an artist by doing commission work for the aristocracy, including the royal family. His earlier works are largely cartoon templates for tapestries and portraits. They are more conventional than his later works.
Modern art historians frequently discuss the complete emotional emptiness of the court portraits, citing this as an early display of Goya’s intelligent irreverence.
The Parasol 1777
These paintings also came before the illness that drove Goya’s focus to darker matters. They reflect the interests of the aristocracy rather than Goya’s sentiments, though his satirical and macabre leanings can be glimpsed in the shadows. Working as a court painter gave Goya ample time to refine his exact sentiments on Spanish society. His growth from court painter to societal critic was enhanced by this connection to the elite.
“Imagination abandoned by reason produces impossible monsters; united with it, she is the mother of the arts and the origin of source of their wonders. Francisco de Goya
Yard With Lunatics, 1794
The 1790’s were a period of seclusion and experimental art for Goya. The illness that took his hearing struck in late ’92, and he retreated into seclusion. His art grew darker. France was attacking Spain, and Goya handled the intense emotional turmoil by creating several collections of paintings and prints: Fantasy and Invention, and the Caprichos.
Goya would return to court after a period of recovery, but continued to explore the darker aspects of society through art, questioning authority figures and emphasizing the universal nature of human folly.
Quinta del Sordo: House of the Deaf Man
Photo c. 1900
In 1819, Goya moved into a house outside of Madrid. Here he continued to paint prolifically.
“After the Napoleonic Wars and the internal turmoil of the changing Spanish government, Goya developed an embittered attitude towards man. He had a first hand and acute awareness of panic, terror, fear and hysteria. He had survived two near-fatal illnesses, and grew increasingly anxious and impatient in fear of relapse. The combination of these factors is thought to have led to his production of 14 works known collectively as the Black Paintings.”
Saturn Devouring His Son 1819-1823
The Great Goat 1819-1823
Many of the Black Paintings depict themes of superstition, witchcraft, or violence. They draw from pagan, Christian, and Hellenic imagery and clearly reflect Goya’s ability to transfer his intimacy with despair into his work, into self-expression.
The act of painting is about one heart telling another heart where he found salvation ~ Francisco Goya
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