19 Spanish Art

Francisco Goya – A Revolutionary Figure in Western Art

Source: Excerpts from “19-03 Francisco Goya.pdf” by Dr. Laurence Shafe (www.shafe.uk)

Main Themes & Most Important Ideas/Facts:

This briefing document outlines the life, artistic evolution, and profound impact of Francisco Goya (1746–1828), a groundbreaking Spanish artist. It highlights his journey from humble beginnings to court painter, his pivotal transformation after an illness, and his lasting influence on modern art.

1. Humble Origins and Early Artistic Development (1746-1786)

Francisco Goya was born in Fuendetodos, a small village in Aragón, Spain, to a gilder father. His early talent for drawing was evident, with family legend stating he “deface[d] a wall in the family home with stick figures.” Despite “humble beginnings,” his ambition led him to Zaragoza and then to Madrid.

• Apprenticeship and Rejection: Goya initially “was apprenticed to the painter José Luzán, whose classes, Goya later said, consisted mostly of copying prints—a tedious but highly educational start.” He faced early setbacks, twice failing “to win a scholarship at the prestigious Royal Academy in Madrid.”
• Italian Sojourn (1770): Undeterred, Goya embarked on a “formative tour of Italy in 1770,” where he was introduced “to the Baroque bravura and Rococo froth of Rome and Naples, leaving its clear signature on the breadth and sparkle that infuses his early tapestry cartoons.” This experience made him “emboldened and versatile, eager to embrace both religious and secular commissions.”
• Marriage and Court Connections (1773-1786): In 1773, Goya “married into the Bayeu family,” gaining “professional support particularly from his brother-in-law Francisco Bayeu, a well-known court painter.” His talent, “good looks, and razor wit quickly opened doors at the Spanish court, leading to his appointment as painter to King Charles III and, shortly after, to Charles IV.”
• Early Works: Tapestry Cartoons and Academic Acceptance: Goya’s early works, such as The Parasol (1777) and The Fair at Madrid (1779), were often “painted as a tapestry cartoon for the Prince of Asturias.” While adhering to some conventions of the period, he subtly pushed boundaries. His Christ on the Cross (1780) marked his “official entry into the Royal Academy of San Fernando,” demonstrating his ability to “merge[] classical restraint with a newfound sensitivity to naturalistic human suffering.”

2. The Pivotal Illness and Shift to Darker Themes (1792 onwards)

A profound turning point in Goya’s life and art occurred in 1792. A “mysterious fever—now thought to be either lead poisoning or viral encephalitis—left him permanently deaf.” This affliction, “far from diminishing his productivity, seemed to fan the fires of creativity.” His style subsequently “grew darker and more psychologically intense, reflecting his physical and mental suffering.”

• Los Caprichos (1796-1799): Following his deafness, Goya produced “biting prints such as Los Caprichos that mocked superstition, privilege, and hypocrisy.” The Sleep of Reason Produces Monsters (No. 43 from Los Caprichos) is a key example, symbolizing “the idea that when reason sleeps, irrationality and monstrous behaviour prevail.” This series marks “the emergence of the darker side of Goya.”
• Unflinching Realism in Portraiture: Even as court painter, Goya demonstrated a unique realism. In Charles IV of Spain and His Family (1800-1801), he produced an “enormous royal group portrait [that] both flatters and, if you look closely, mocks the royal subjects by painting them with unparalleled realism.” Critics noted the “vivid honesty” of the facial depictions, a “euphemism for the less-than-flattering realism Goya deployed.”
• The Majas and the Inquisition (c. 1800-1805): Goya’s The Clothed Maja and The Nude Maja were considered “positively daring for [their] frank sensuality.” The Nude Maja is “often referenced as the first major Western nude to depict pubic hair without apology.” These works attracted the attention of “the Inquisition, which was considerably less amused, and Goya endured a tense inquisition into their origins.”
• Psychological Portraiture: By 1805, Goya, now completely deaf, “relied increasingly on his quick wit and sharp observation to capture his subjects’ personalities,” as seen in Doña Isabel de Porcel. He became “so adept a reading character that a mere tilt of the head or a subtle smile told him more than hours of conversation.”

3. Witnessing War and Depicting Inhumanity (1808-1823)

The Napoleonic occupation of Spain (1808) profoundly impacted Goya, who “witnessed appalling violence firsthand.” This experience led to some of his most powerful and unsettling works, which serve as searing indictments of conflict.

• The Disasters of War (1810-1820): This “harrowing series of aquatints and etchings stands among the most influential indictments of conflict in Western art.” The plates “depict starvation, mutilation, rape, and murder in pitiless detail.” Goya remarked, “‘In these you see not the French nor the Spanish, only men behaving like demons.’” The series, which includes plates with the words “I saw this,” was “so politically sensitive it was not published until 1863.”
• The Third of May 1808 (1814): One of Goya’s “best known works,” this painting is “one of the most searing indictments of violence in Western art.” It portrays “huddled Spanish rebels, their terror illuminated by a lantern, are executed by faceless, mechanical French troops.” The “lone figure with arms raised, whose pose echoes Christ’s crucifixion, symbolises both martyrdom and defiance.” Art historian Kenneth Clark called it “the first great picture which can be called revolutionary in every sense of the word, in style, in subject, and in intention.”
• The Black Paintings (1819-1823): Painted “directly onto the plaster walls of his house outside Madrid—La Quinta del Sordo… these nightmarish images were never meant for public view.” The series includes 14 “intensely dark works” like Saturn Devouring His Son, Witches’ Sabbath, and The Drowning Dog. These works “exhibit Goya’s technical boldness, expressive brushwork, and willingness to confront subjects that expose the darker side of humanity,” reflecting “his increasingly pessimistic worldview shaped by illness, near deafness, the turmoil of the Napoleonic Wars, political repression, and personal suffering.”

4. Exile, Later Works, and Enduring Legacy (1824-1828)

In his final years, Goya voluntarily exiled himself to Bordeaux, France, due to political repression. Despite waning health, he continued to produce significant works, pushing artistic boundaries until his death.

• Exile and The Milkmaid of Bordeaux (c. 1825-1827): Goya settled in Bordeaux at 78, “deaf, physically weak and isolated,” accompanied by his companion Leocadia Weiss. His “last known oil painting, The Milkmaid of Bordeaux, is a luminous, dreamlike portrait painted in exile,” characterized by “fresh, free brushwork.”
• “Last of the Old Masters and First Modern Artist”: Goya died in Bordeaux in 1828. By the 20th century, critics had “crowned him as the last of the Old Masters and, paradoxically, as the first modern artist.” His influence is undeniable, with “the ghosts and dreams of Goya continu[ing] to haunt painters, novelists and filmmakers to this day.”
• Influence on Future Artists: Goya’s revolutionary approach to subject matter, his psychological depth, and his raw depiction of human nature had a profound impact on subsequent art movements. His Disasters of War and The Third of May 1808 were “crucial inspiration” for “Picasso’s Guernica and Manet’s Execution of Emperor Maximilian.” He “influenced Romanticism, Impressionism, and Expressionism, making him a pivotal figure in Western art.”

Conclusion:

Francisco Goya’s career demonstrates a remarkable evolution from a skilled court painter to a visionary artist who unflinchingly confronted the darkest aspects of human nature and society. His personal suffering, particularly his deafness, deepened his artistic expression, leading to intensely psychological and socially critical works. Goya’s willingness to break with academic conventions and depict the raw realities of his time cemented his legacy as a transitional figure, bridging the gap between the Old Masters and the dawn of modern art.