Spain and France
From its roots in the work of Fuseli, Blake, and other late-18th-
century artists, Romanticism gradually displaced Neoclassicism as
the dominant painting style of the first half of the 19th century. Ro-
mantic artists, including Francisco Goya in Spain and Théodore
Géricault and Eugène Delacroix in France, explored the exotic,
erotic, and fantastic in their paintings.
FRANCISCO GOYAThe Spaniard Francisco José de Goya y
Lucientes(1746–1828) was David’s contemporary, but their work
has little in common. Goya did not arrive at his general dismissal of
Neoclassicism without considerable thought about the Enlighten-
ment and the Neoclassical penchant for rationality and order. This re-
flection emerges in such works as The Sleep of Reason Produces Mon-
sters (FIG. 30-11) from a series titled Los Caprichos (The Caprices). In
this print, Goya depicted himself asleep, slumped onto a table or writ-
ing stand, while threatening creatures converge on him. Seemingly
poised to attack the artist are owls (symbols of folly) and bats (sym-
bols of ignorance). The viewer might read this as a portrayal of what
emerges when reason is suppressed and, therefore, as an espousal of
Enlightenment ideals. However, it also can be interpreted as Goya’s
commitment to the creative process and the Romantic spirit—the
unleashing of imagination, emotions, and even nightmares.
FAMILY OF CHARLES IVThe emotional art Goya produced
during his long career stands as testimony not only to the allure of
the Romantic vision but also to the turmoil in Spain and to the con-
flicts in Goya’s life. His art is multifaceted in character, however, and
many of his works deal with traditional religious subjects. Others are
royal portraits painted after 1786, when Goya became Pintor del Rey
(Painter to the King). Charles IV (r. 1788–1808) promoted him to
First Court Painter in 1799. In his official capacity, Goya produced
paintings very different in character from his Caprichos,such asFam-
ily of Charles IV (FIG. 30-12). Goya greatly admired the achieve-
ments of his predecessor Diego Velázquez, and Velázquez’s Las Meni-
nas (FIG. 24-30) was the inspiration for this image of the king and his
queen, Maria Luisa, surrounded by their children. As in Las Meninas,
the royal family appears facing the viewer in an interior space while
the artist included himself on the left, dimly visible, in the act of
painting on a large canvas. Goya’s portrait of the royal family has
been subjected to intense scholarly scrutiny, resulting in a variety of
interpretations. Some scholars see this painting as a naturalistic de-
piction of Spanish royalty. Others believe it to be a pointed commen-
tary in a time of Spanish turmoil. It is clear that his patrons autho-
rized the painting’s basic elements—the king and his family, their
attire, and Goya’s inclusion. Little evidence exists as to how the royal
family reacted to this painting. Although some scholars have argued
that they disliked the portrait, others have suggested that the painting
confirmed the Spanish monarchy’s continuing presence and strength
and thus elicited a positive response from the patrons.
As dissatisfaction with the rule of Charles IV and Maria Luisa
increased, the political situation grew more tenuous. The Spanish
people eventually threw their support behind Ferdinand VII, son of
the royal couple, in the hope that he would initiate reform. To over-
throw his father and mother, Ferdinand VII enlisted the aid of
Napoleon Bonaparte, who possessed uncontested authority and mil-
itary expertise at that time. Napoleon had designs on the Spanish
throne and thus willingly sent French troops to Spain. Not surpris-
ingly, as soon as he ousted Charles IV, Napoleon revealed his plan to
rule Spain himself by installing his brother Joseph Bonaparte (r.
1808–1813) on the Spanish throne.
786 Chapter 30 EUROPE AND AMERICA, 1800 TO 187030-11Francisco Goya,The Sleep of Reason Produces Monsters,from
Los Caprichos,ca. 1798. Etching and aquatint, 8^1 – 2 57 – 8 . Metropolitan
Museum of Art, New York (gift of M. Knoedler & Co., 1918).
In this print, Goya depicted himself asleep while threatening creatures
converge on him, revealing his commitment to the Romantic spirit—
the unleashing of imagination, emotions, and nightmares.THIRD OF MAY, 1808 The Spanish people, finally recognizing
the French as invaders, sought a way to expel the foreign troops. On
May 2, 1808, in frustration, the Spanish attacked Napoleon’s soldiers
in a chaotic and violent clash. In retaliation and as a show of force,
the French responded the next day by executing numerous Spanish
citizens. This tragic event is the subject of Goya’s most famous paint-
ing,Third of May, 1808 (FIG. 30-13). In emotional fashion, Goya
depicted the anonymous murderous wall of French soldiers ruth-
lessly executing the unarmed and terrified Spanish peasants. The
artist encouraged empathy for the Spanish by portraying horrified
expressions and anguish on their faces, endowing them with a hu-
manity absent from the firing squad. Moreover, the peasant about to
be shot throws his arms out in a cruciform gesture reminiscent of
Christ’s position on the cross. Goya enhanced the emotional drama
of this tragic event through his stark use of darks and lights and
by extending the time frame depicted. Although Goya captured the
specific moment when one man is about to be executed, he also1 in.