Penny Chanthavong ART 1020-004 http://pnnychan.wordpress.com/general-education/intro-to-art/ The Life of Francisco de Goya Spain’s most revered artist, Francisco Jose de Goya y Lucientes, a painter and printmaker, was most notably known for his controversial works that criticized social and political problems during his time. Born on March 30, 1746, in Fuendetodos, Aragon, Spain, he later moved with his family to the city of Saragossa where he would study under a local Spanish painter named Jose Luzan Martinez at the age of fourteen. Goya later moved to Madrid to continue his studies with brothers, Francisco and Ramon Bayeu y Subias. It was also during this time that Goya studied under German Bohemian painter, Anton Raphael Mengs, who would later ask him to design cartoons that were woven into tapestries for the royal palaces. Goya submitted artwork twice to the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in San Fernando but was rejected on both occasions. Looking to further his education, Goya moved to Italy in 1770 where he studied classic works. A year later, Goya returned to Saragossa where he was commissioned to paint, “The Adoration of the Name of God,” a fresco for the Basilica of the Pillar. Goya also painted a series of frescoes thematically called, “Life of the Virgin.” These works garnered Goya popularity because of the difficulty involved in painting such large frescoes. In 1773, Goya married Bayeu’s sister, Josefa and had eight children but only one child, Xavier, survived past infancy. Through Mengs, Goya began painting tapestry cartoons for the Royal Tapestry Factory at Santa Barbara. These artworks that Goya created were designs used to be woven for two royal palaces; the San Lorenzo del Escorial and the Royal Palace of El Pardo. The tapestries that Goya designed were activities from everyday life such as “The Parasol” and “El baile de San Antonio de la Florida.” His designs were light-hearted and characteristic of the rococo style with soft lines and bright pastel colors. He completed a total of 63 designs during this period. From his work as a tapestry designer, Goya was able to procure more commissioned work with the upper-class. In 1780, Goya was finally appointed member of the Royal Academy of Fine Arts. Between 1785 and 1788, he was commissioned to paint the Count of Altamira and his family. Some of his work for the Count of Altamira included “Condesa de Altamira and Her Daughter” which was done sometime between 1787 and 1788. This piece, in which Goya employs his skill in making the countess’ embroidered silk gown shimmer and his ability to bring his subject’s pensive expression into focus, fully showcased Goya’s capabilities. Another work done by Goya for the Count of Altamira’s family is a portrait of Altamira’s third son titled, “Manuel Osorio Manrique de Zuniga.” This artwork was believed to be commissioned after de Goya was appointed the official painter to King Charles III in 1786. The portrait, which depicts young Manuel in a red costume playing with a pet magpie, also contains symbolism. Behind the child are three wide-eyed cats and a cage full of finches. Goya might have intended for the portrait to symbolize lost innocence since the caged birds in baroque art symbolizes innocence, the magpie in Christian art symbolizes the soul, and the cats are depicted as evil. Because of the darker undertones within the painting, it was believed to have been done during 1790s which was typical of Goya’s changing style during that period. Among other commissioned work for the royal family is his portrait done between 1787 and 1788 entitled, “The Duke and Duchess of Osuna and their Children.” This portrait demonstrated Goya’s ability to capture details of his subjects’ eyes and clothing. His success led him to become the court painter in 1789. However this was the peak of Goya’s popularity; in 1793, France declared war on Spain and it was during this time that Goya traveled to Cadiz in Andalusia with his friend Sebastian Martinez y Perez. While in Cadiz, Goya contracted an illness which left him permanently deaf. The type of illness was not known but both the war and his loss of hearing was believed to have attributed to Goya’s change in artistic style from cheerful to dark and sometimes horrifying in nature. From that point forward, Goya spent the next few years in isolation while he was recovering. It was also during this time around 1799 that Goya created a collection of eighty allegorical etchings called Caprichos. The collection contained drawings of witches, ghosts, and creatures that consumed the mind and were intended to show a world against reason. Etchings such as Out Hunting for Teeth and The Sleep of Reason Produces Monsters in particular criticized the Spanish societies’ belief in superstitious things that went against rationality. Within the same year that Goya published Caprichos, he was appointed first court painter by the crown of Spain and spent the next couple of years painting the royal family. While Goya was well-known for his work, he was also notorious for his lack of flattery when it came to his paintings. He was commissioned by King Charles IV to paint the royal family. The use of lights and shadows along with symbolism and the arrangement of his subjects reflected how Goya felt. It was believed that the queen held the real power, thus Goya painted her in the center and his use of light made her the focal point. In the backdrop a painting to the left of the family is of Lot and his daughters, possibly to suggest corruption under King Charles IV’s rule. The reign of King Charles IV came to an end in 1808 when Spain was invaded by Napoleon Bonaparte’s army, leading to the Peninsular War. What followed was the mass execution of many Spanish civilians that resisted. Although Goya was revolted by the actions of the French, he pledged his loyalty to Napoleon’s brother, Joseph who ascended the Spanish throne after the invasion. Goya continued to paint for the French and in 1811 he was awarded the Royal Order of Spain. In 1814, after Napoleon’s fall, King Ferdinand VII, son of Charles IV, was reinstated as the leader of Spain. Goya’s loyalty was put into question and to prove his allegiance he painted two portraits to commemorate the Spanish uprising against the French: The Second of May 1808 and The Third of May 1808. The first painting depicted a scene of Spanish civilians fighting against French soldiers on horseback in Madrid’s city center while the second painting depicted the execution of captured Spaniards on a hill outside the city of Madrid. Both of these paintings were monumental and were considered to be the first modern works of art because of their unconventional depiction of war during that time. The lack of focal point within the first painting was intentionally done to create a scene of chaos. From 1810 to 1820 Goya continued making prints documenting his accounts of the war with a series of eighty-five etchings called, The Disasters of War. They were never published during Goya’s lifetime. Throughout Ferdinand’s reign, Goya’s commission came to a halt as he was cut-off from both his social and political life that he had once known before. As a result, Goya retired to his country home known as Quinta del Sordo or the Deaf Man’s House. It was there that Goya started to paint frescoes that were hauntingly dark and sinister. Today they are known as The Black Paintings. Under the pretense of seeking medical advice, Goya left Madrid in 1824 for Bordeaux, France due to a difference in political opinion. He spent the remainder of his life there and died on April 16, 1828, in Bordeaux, France. Works Cited Voorhies, James. "Francisco de Goya (1746–1828) and the Spanish Enlightenment". In Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2000–. http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/goya/hd_goya.htm (October 2003) "Francisco de Goya." 2013. The Biography Channel website. Nov 17 2013, http://www.biography.com/people/francisco-de-goya-9317129. When I first began my research on Francisco de Goya, I had searched up his name on Google. What I found was that the majority of the images that came up consisted of his darker works known as The Black Paintings. I was hesitant on proceeding with Goya as my artist of choice because his paintings were a little disturbing. I had chosen Goya because I was under the impression that his style was considered to be political so I was confused when all the images I saw on Google were of his darker works. However, I decided to do a little more research and found out why he had produced these paintings. What I learned was that even some of his darker works were symbolic and was meant to be critical of Spanish society. There are many works of art that are open to interpretation and I think Goya fits into that category but I think what made his work interesting is that they were meant to criticize certain events during his time, however, the message of his works can still be applicable to any culture and society today. Although Goya was an accomplished painter and completed a lot of commissioned work for the Spanish nobility, I think he gained renown not because of those things but because of who he was and I think this is the reason why his works are still recognized today.