Priya Kapoor
Francisco Goya was a Spanish painter and printmaker considered to be one of the most important Spanish artists of the late 18th and early 19th centuries. He was born in 1746 and died in 1828, and his career spanned a tumultuous time in Spain's history, with the French Revolution, political uprisings, and the Napoleonic invasion. Goya's most famous paintings were created during his time as a court painter, including The Naked Maja, The Clothed Maja, The Family of Charles IV, and The Third of May 1808. His later works became darker and more pessimistic, reflecting his disillusionment with society and his struggles with his own sanity, as seen in his Black Paintings created between 1819 and 1823.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Birth and death | 30 March 1746 – 16 April 1828 |
| Peak of career | Late 18th and early 19th centuries |
| Became a court painter | 1786 |
| Became Director of the Royal Academy | 1795 |
| Became Primer Pintor de Cámara (Prime Court Painter) | 1799 |
| Completed La maja desnuda | 1799 |
| Completed Charles IV of Spain and His Family | 1800-1801 |
| Completed The Nude Maja | 1797-1800 |
| Completed The Clothed Maja | 1798-1805 |
| Completed The Third of May 1808 | 1814 |
| Completed the etching series The Disasters of War | 1810-1814 |
| Completed the Black Paintings | 1819-1823 |
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What You'll Learn
The Peninsular War
Francisco Goya was a Spanish painter and printmaker, considered the most important Spanish artist of the late 18th and early 19th centuries. He is regarded as one of the last of the Old Masters and one of the earliest of the modern artists. Goya's paintings reflected contemporary historical upheavals and influenced important artists in the 19th and 20th centuries.
Goya's most famous paintings were created during a period of great upheaval in Spain, marked by the Peninsular War, which lasted from 1808 to 1814. This conflict was sparked by the French invasion of Spain led by Napoleon Bonaparte, who installed his brother, Joseph Bonaparte, as the country's ruler. The Spanish people, however, refused to accept this rule, and on May 2, 1808, the Spanish War of Independence began, marking the start of the Peninsular War.
Goya remained in Madrid during the Peninsular War, and while he did not publicly express his thoughts, his artwork provides insight into his feelings about the war. His famous series of etchings, "The Disasters of War" (or "Los Desastres de la Guerra"), is a powerful anti-war statement that depicts the tragic results of violent conflict. Goya created this series during and after the war, and it was published posthumously in 1863.
The series consists of 82 etchings (or 85 according to another source), often divided into three thematic groups: war, famine, and political and cultural allegories. The first group of etchings focuses on the consequences of the conflict on individual soldiers and civilians, showing mutilated bodies, tortured captives, and violence perpetrated by soldiers. The middle series depicts the severe famine that struck Madrid in 1811-1812, and the final group reflects the disappointment of liberals with the restored Bourbon monarchy's rejection of the Spanish Constitution of 1812 and their opposition to reform.
Goya's work during this period was marked by a departure from traditional heroic depictions of war. Instead, he focused on the human toll of the conflict, using realistic expressions and settings to portray torture, tragedy, and suffering. His work during and after the Peninsular War, including "The Disasters of War" series, serves as a powerful reminder of the horrors of war and the impact of violent conflict on individuals and society.
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The French invasion
Francisco Goya was born in 1746 and died in 1828. He is considered the most important Spanish artist of the late 18th and early 19th centuries. His paintings reflected the contemporary historical upheavals of his time and influenced important 19th- and 20th-century painters.
Goya's career at court began in 1775, and he became a court painter to the Spanish Crown in 1786. However, his position as a court painter would be jeopardized by the French invasion of Spain in 1808.
In 1808, Napoleon's armies entered Spain, forcing Charles IV and his son Ferdinand to abdicate. Napoleon's brother, Joseph Bonaparte, was placed on the throne. Goya, like other Spanish liberals, was placed in a difficult position by the invasion. He had supported the ideals of the French Revolution and hoped for similar developments in Spain. However, he was naturally averse to authority and witnessed the subjugation of his countrymen by French troops.
Goya maintained his position as court painter under Joseph Bonaparte, but this required an oath of loyalty. During this period, he portrayed both Spanish and French generals, and in 1812, he painted a portrait of The Duke of Wellington. Goya's experiences during the occupation inspired his prints, "The Disasters of War," which he created between 1810 and 1820. These prints depict the horrors of the Napoleonic invasion and the war's impact on soldiers and civilians.
After the expulsion of the French in 1814, Goya was pardoned and reinstated as the first court painter. He approached the provisional government with a request to commemorate the heroic actions of the insurrection against Napoleon. This resulted in his creation of "The Third of May 1808," which depicts the Spanish resistance to Napoleon's armies during the occupation of Madrid. Along with its companion piece, "The Second of May 1808," these paintings are powerful images of the horrors of war.
Goya's works during and after the French invasion reflect his reactions to the invasion, the war, and the subsequent political developments. His art provides a valuable perspective on the historical context of early 19th-century Spain and the impact of the Napoleonic invasion on the country and its people.
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Portraits of the Spanish aristocracy
Francisco Goya was a Spanish painter and printmaker, considered the most important Spanish artist of the late 18th and early 19th centuries. He was born in 1746 and died in 1828. Goya became a court painter to the Spanish Crown in 1786, and this early portion of his career is marked by portraits of the Spanish aristocracy and royalty.
Goya earned commissions from the highest ranks of the Spanish nobility. In 1801, he painted a portrait of Spanish Prime Minister Manuel de Godoy, which is usually seen as satire. He also painted the Duke of Alba, the Duke of Wellington, and the Duke of Osuna. Goya's portraits of royalty include Charles IV of Spain and his family, which is interpreted as a brutal assessment of the royal family. Goya's portraits are notable for their disinclination to flatter, and he is regarded as the "father of the psychological portrait".
Goya's early career was also marked by tapestry cartoons designed for the royal palace. In 1775, he painted the first of a series of more than 60 cartoons for the Royal Tapestry Factory of Santa Bárbara. These cartoons do not show portraits, but they do show types of people, such as peasants and rich men, courting couples, and children. In these designs, Goya practised poses, groupings, and handling light around the figures, which became invaluable for his later portraiture work.
Goya's work as a portraitist began in 1780 when he received his first portrait commissions from the nobility. In 1783, he painted the Count of Floridablanca, the reforming first minister of Charles III. In 1784, he painted his breakthrough work, "The Family of the Infante Don Luis de Borbón", which was a tribute to Velázquez's "Las Meninas".
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Etching and aquatint
Francisco Goya (1746-1828) was a Spanish romantic painter and printmaker, considered the most important Spanish artist of the late 18th and early 19th centuries. He is regarded as one of the last of the Old Masters and one of the earliest of the modern artists.
Goya created four major series of prints, with printmaking central to his career. His four major print series were each done in engraving. He generally started by making a preliminary drawing for guidance, which he transferred to a copper plate. After damping the paper and putting a wax-like ground on the plate, he would put the drawing face down on the plate and run the paper and plate through a press. A copy of the drawing would be transferred to the ground, which he would then work over with an etching needle. When put in acid, the plate would be protected except where the lines were drawn, and furrows would be eaten away by the acid. When the ground was removed, the plate would be inked and these furrows would hold the ink even after the plate was wiped; a sheet of damp paper pressed over the inked plate would then pick up the lines of ink. This is the basic etching process.
To create areas of shading, Goya used the method of aquatint. The plate was warmed so that the resin melted and stuck to it. Acid was then applied to the plate, working around the grains of resin, eating into the plate and creating areas of tiny holes. The longer an area was bathed in acid, the deeper the holes would be and the more ink they would hold, resulting in darker shades. Goya also worked over the plates in other ways to strengthen lines, burnish away areas of aquatint or soften lines, and sometimes used a drypoint needle directly on the plate to get the details right.
Goya's Los Caprichos, published in 1799, is the earliest of his major series. It is a series of 80 engravings, with only two known to precede aquatint. The prints were published in an edition of about 300, on fine-quality strong laid paper, with sheets measuring about 320 by 220 mm, in a warm sepia ink.
Other works by Goya that feature etching and aquatint include La Tauromaquia (1815-1816), Los Disparates (1815-24), and Los Desastres de la Guerra (1810-1820).
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The Black Paintings
Francisco Goya was a Spanish romantic painter and printmaker, considered the most important Spanish artist of the late 18th and early 19th centuries. He was born in 1746 and died in 1828. He is regarded as one of the last of the Old Masters and one of the earliest of the modern artists. His works reflected contemporary upheavals and influenced important later artists.
Goya's most famous paintings include The Naked Maja, The Clothed Maja, The Family of Charles IV, The Third of May 1808: The Execution of the Defenders of Madrid, and Saturn Eating His Children. His etchings included the series Los Caprichos and The Disasters of War.
Goya's late period culminated with the Black Paintings, which he painted between 1819 and 1823. He painted these directly onto the walls of his house, the Quinta del Sordo (House of the Deaf Man), using oil paints. The paintings were not commissioned and were not meant to leave his home. It is likely that Goya never intended the works for public exhibition. The paintings were not dated, signed, or formally named by Goya, and he never spoke or wrote about them as far as we know.
Art historian Juan José Junquera has questioned the authenticity of the Black Paintings, suggesting that they may have been painted by Goya's son Javier and passed off as Goya's work by Javier's son Mariano. However, this theory has been rejected by other scholars, who defend the paintings' authenticity.
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Frequently asked questions
Francisco Goya lived from 1746 to 1828 and was active as an artist from around 1775 until his death.
Francisco Goya's most famous paintings include The Naked Maja, The Clothed Maja, The Family of Charles IV, The Third of May 1808: The Execution of the Defenders of Madrid, and Saturn Eating His Children.
Francisco Goya's Black Paintings are a series of 14 paintings created between 1819 and 1823. They are among his darkest works and were painted on the plaster walls of his house, the Quinta del Sordo (House of the Deaf Man).
Francisco Goya's painting The Third of May 1808 portrays the Spanish resistance during the Napoleonic invasion of Spain between 1808 and 1809. It shows Napoleon's army clashing with Spanish civilians following an uprising.
Francisco Goya created four major print portfolios during his career: the Caprichos, Proverbios, Tauromaquia, and The Disasters of War. His prints and etchings often feature women, witches, and queens, and reflect his true opinions about the social and political events of his day.
