124- Identity: the
building blocks of
2. Literature
and philosophy
3. Art and
architecture
4. Performing
arts
5. Cinema
and fashion
6. Media and
communications
7. Food and drink 8. Living culture:
the details of
Out of the darkness: Francisco de Goya
You might think the mediocrity of Francisco de
Goya’s peers exaggerated his own talents, but such
assumptions vastly undersell his importance.
He rejuvenated Velázquez’ naturalism, harnessing
spontaneity and straying from the idealist tradition
decreeing that a painting simply had to please the eye.
As his life progressed he painted increasingly from his
own tormented imagination, compiling a gripping,
albeit bleak portfolio that braced the world for the
anarchy of modernism.Goya, full name Francisco José de Goya y
Lucientes, was a late starter as an artist.
He’d reached his late 20s by the time he left
his hometown of Zaragoza, moved to Madrid
and begun working on a series of cartoons
for the RoyalTapestry Factory. Even this
formative, officially sanctioned work broke
with tradition, with Goya introducing earthy
street scenes into the royal palace. By the
time of his appointment as Principal Painter
to the King in 1799, his work was much
enjoyed well beyond the royal court. Portraits
of Carlos IV and his family had a genuine
luminosity but were more important for their
honesty – he painted life as he saw it and,
like Velázquez, captured the elusive traits of
character.The royal work continued throughout Goya’s life, but later impressions of
Ferdinand VII in the early 19thcentury perhaps hint at disappointment with
the monarchy and its vanity. And there always was a darker side to Goya’s
art. It stemmed partly from personal suffering: a mystery illness left him
permanently deaf from 1792 and he subsequently suffered bouts of
depression. A series of 80 etchings,Los Caprichos(1799), blended this
Goya’s mural retreat
In all, the septuagenarian
Goya left 14 untitled
Black Paintings on the
walls of his house in
Madrid’s suburbs.
Carefully removed, the
paintings now reside in
the Museo del Prado,
Madrid.