University of Louisville ThinkIR: The University of Louisville's Institutional Repository Electronic Theses and Dissertations 12-2019 It's a mad world after all: the influence of stoic thought in Goya's Los Caprichos. Jennifer Anne Steward University of Louisville Follow this and additional works at: https://ir.library.louisville.edu/etd Part of the History of Art, Architecture, and Archaeology Commons, and the Printmaking Commons Recommended Citation Steward, Jennifer Anne, "It's a mad world after all: the influence of stoic thought in Goya's Los Caprichos." (2019). Electronic Theses and Dissertations. Paper 3312. https://doi.org/10.18297/etd/3312 This Doctoral Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by ThinkIR: The University of Louisville's Institutional Repository. It has been accepted for inclusion in Electronic Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of ThinkIR: The University of Louisville's Institutional Repository. This title appears here courtesy of the author, who has retained all other copyrights. For more information, please contact [email protected]. IT’S A MAD WORLD AFTER ALL: THE INFLUENCE OF STOIC THOUGHT IN GOYA’S LOS CAPRICHOS By Jennifer Anne Steward BFA, BA University of Georgia, 1999 MA University of Louisville, 2007 A Dissertation submitted to the Faculty of the College of Arts and Sciences of the University of Louisville in Partial fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy In Art History Department of Fine Arts University of Louisville Louisville, Kentucky December 2019 Copyright by Jennifer Anne Steward All rights reserved IT’S A MAD WORLD AFTER ALL: THE INFLUENCE OF STOIC THOUGHT IN GOYA’S LOS CAPRICHOS By Jennifer Anne Steward BFA, BA, University of Georgia, 1999 MA, University of Louisville, 2007 A Dissertation Approved on 15 November, 2019 By the following Dissertation Committee: ______________________________________ Prof. Jay Kloner, Dissertation Advisor ______________________________________ Prof. Benjamin Hufbauer ______________________________________ Prof. Christopher Fulton ______________________________________ Prof. Frank Nuessel ______________________________________ Prof. James Grubola ______________________________________ Prof. Scott Massey ii DEDICATION This dissertation is dedicated in memory of my father Mr. James R. Steward and My mother, Mrs. Joyce D. Steward, For their unending encouragement and support. iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to thank my mentor, Dr. Jay Kloner, for his guidance and generosity in guiding me on this journey. I would also like to thank the other committee members, Dr. Benjamin Huffbauer, Dr. Christopher Fulton, and Dr. Frank Nuessel, for their assistance and support over the past several years. I also would like to thank my family for their support. I wish to thank Glenda Kloner for bringing to my attention the similarity between Manet’s Olympia and Goya’s Caprichos, plate 31 regarding flatness and important aspects of meaning and symbolism. iv ABSTRACT IT’A A MAD WORLD AFTER ALL: THE INFLUENCE OF STOIC THOUGHT IN GOYA’S LOS CAPRICHOS Jennifer A. Steward 15 November 2019 This dissertation is a study of use of the principles of Stoic rhetoric and moral psychology in Goya’s print series, Los Caprichos. The relationship between Stoic thought and the technical aspects will be explored with regard to the effects used to support the visual conceptualizations. The function of the Caprichos as a book with chapters or parts relating particular modes of perception will be addressed. The technique of aquatint employed by Goya will also be explored. The predominance of geometric forms within the composition that reflect inter-personal relationships is also presented for consideration. v TABLE OF CONTENTS ABSTRACT iii LIST OF FIGURES vii CHAPTER INTRODUCTION 1 I. CAPTIONS AS TEXT 9 A. Maxims 10 B. Language and Imagery 23 II. CONTENT OF THE IMAGERY IN THE CAPRICHOS 34 A. Appearances [Phantasia] 37 B. Passions 53 C. Morals 60 D. Madness 73 III. PRESENTATION OF THE CAPRICHOS AS A BOOK 79 IV. TECHNIQUE AS A VEHICLE FOR EXPRESSION OF CONTENT 113 V. COMPOSITION AND GEOMETRY 124 VI. LOOKING FORWARD: THE APPEAL OF GOYA’S CAPRICHOS 159 VII. SUMMARY AND CONCLUSION 167 REFERENCES 170 CURRICULUM VITAE 187 vi LIST OF FIGURES FIGURES PAGE 1. Diagram of the different parts of the mind according to Seneca, Epistle 92 …………….… 34 2. Summary of Sections in the Caprichos …………………………..…………………………..... 89 3. Comparison of Caprichos, Sueños, and Album B drawings ......……………………………. 90 4. Atomizer …………………………………………………………….…………………………… 114 5. Rosin: small lumps and coarse grains ……………………………………………………….. 114 6. Example of reticulation, “tidemark.” …………………………………………………………… 116 7. Coarse grain reticulation ………………………………………………………………………. 116 8. Detail of coarse spirit aquatint. ………………………………………………………………… 117 9. Detail of coarse and fine mix rosin ……………………………………………………………. 117 10. Aquatint: dust box detail ……………………………………………………...……………..... 118 11. Aquatint; hand dust detail …………………………………………………………….....….… 118 12. Aquatint: spray detail (coarse solution) ………………………………………………….….. 118 13. Aquatint: spray detail (fine solution) ……………………………………………………….… 118 14. Aquatint: spirit detail …………………………………………………………………………... 118 15. Aquatint: lavis detail ………………………………………………………………………….... 118 16. Geometric diagram of Capricho pl. 34 Las rinde el Sueño ………………………………… 125 17. Geometric diagram of Capricho pl. 32 Por que fue susceptible ………………………….. 129 18. Geometric diagram of Capricho pl. 6 Nadie se conoce .………………………………….. 130 19 Diagram of figural placement in Capricho pl. 6 Nadie se conoce ………………………… 130 20. Geometric diagram of Capricho pl. 10 El amor y la muerte ……………………………. 131 21. Diagram after Arnheim’s adaptation of Hogarth’s line of Beauty …………………………. 131 vii INTRODUCTION The relation between Stoicism and Francisco de Goya’s print series, Los Caprichos, was previously a topic not given serious consideration in the scholarly literature except for a brief thought in Nigel Glendinning’s 1977 article, “Goya and van Veen. An Emblematic Source for Some of Goya’s Late Drawings,” which was not developed further. In my Master’s thesis, I conducted a very brief summary of Stoic thought. This included a framework based on the three principle areas of Stoic philosophy: logic, physics, and ethics. From that point I made an attempt to demonstrate a connection between the literature and culture of Goya’s time with Stoicism. The third and fourth parts were a study of Goya’s life and Los Caprichos in terms of Stoicism and an analysis of select plates from Los Caprichos. These last two parts were organized around the three areas of the philosophy as mentioned above. The interaction between Stoic thought and Goya’s work is still a subject not fully explored. It is my aim in the dissertation to continue the study that I began in the Master’s thesis in greater detail with new material and reconsidered thoughts on other aspects. There is still a vast amount to be discovered in this subject. Although in the thesis I structured the content along the lines of logic, physics and ethics, I feel a less rigid approach to be a better way to address the new material in the dissertation. By using a more thematic conceptualization of the subject, the content will be developed in a better manner. The broad themes to be analyzed, as set out in the outline, are the literary connections and the captions, the way in which Goya uses the Caprichos prints to critique society through keen observation, the changes initiated by deafness which contributed to a greater perception, and a study of Goya’s printmaking techniques in relation to his perceptions and ideas. Some plates referred to in the thesis may be discussed again, but the majority of plates used as examples will not have been addressed previously. 1 The captions for Los Caprichos have long held fascination for viewers. While scholarship has generally accepted the captions as the titles of the prints, many scholars have differed in opinion regarding the function of the caption. Goya’s contemporaries viewed these as a code referring to events or people of the day. There have been studies of the notations made by contemporaries along these lines with some of the prints. The captions also lend themselves to theories about their function as metaphor or idiom. One aspect of the captions that is fascinating is their wit and ironic qualities. These qualities, coupled with the length of the captions, beg the question of whether these can actually function as titles excepting the tendency in the eighteenth century toward lengthy titles. The wording is also often at odds with the subject of the print. This has also been a puzzle many have attempted to solve. A possible answer is to compare the captions to aphorisms. Several Stoic philosophers were noted for their aphorisms and pithy sayings. Epictetus, though not known as much for pithy remarks, composed in his Discourses and Enchiridion short paragraphs or single sentences which contained a specific thought. The works of Baltasar Gracián, a seventeenth century Jesuit priest, have also been noted for their Neostoic characteristics. Gracián’s work, The Oracle, is also noted for its wit. The connection of Stoic elements in Spain, especially those pertaining to Seneca, have been noted in Gracián’s writings by Karl Blüher (Seneca in Spanien) and by Jeremy Robbins (Bulletin of Spanish Studies, 2006). It is also interesting to mention that a collection of Goethe’s maxims have been collected in