Goya
(Francisco de Goya)
“The father of modern art; he considered the artist’s
personal vision to be more important that the actual
subject of the piece.”
His Life
In 1746 he was born in Fuentetodos,
Spain.
 He began to study under local painter Jose
Luzan y Martinez at age 14.
 He studied in Rome for a year in 1771
then returned to Spain.
 He began his career as an artist of the
court in 1775 when he worked for the
Royal Tapestry Factory creating scenes of
contemporary life & pastimes

His Life—Con’t.
 In
1786 he was named painter to King
Charles III.
 He became painter to King Charles IV in
1788 when he became the most
successful and fashionable artist in
Spain.
 He suffered from a horrible illness that
left him deaf in 1792, which changed
the way he painted.
His Life—Con’t.
He painted “Los Caprichos” in 1799; a series
of 80 etchings that attacked political, social,
& religious abuses of the time. These were
caricatures, and he used a new technique
that makes them a major achievement in the
history of engraving.
 He was threatened by the Inquisition and
forced to give these to the king.
 After Napoleon invaded Spain, he became his
painter, and did a series of etchings called
“The Disasters of War” that record the horror
and brutality of war

His Life—Con’t.
He was later pardoned by King Ferdinand
VII when he was restored as king in 1814.
 Tiring of the stupidity of the monarchy, he
went to his country cottage with his maid
and mistress, Leocadia Weiss and her
daughter Rosario.
 There he painted the “Black Paintings” on
the walls, not meant for public display
 In 1824 he was brought before the
Inquisition and accepted exile in
Bordeaux, France
 In 1828, he died in Bordeaux, France
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His Style
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He is known as the greatest interpreter
of his age and of his country
He has said that he has 3 masters:
Rembrandt (etchings & engravings),
Velazquez (study of nature & realism),
and Nature itself
He is famous for his vivid & accurate
portrayal of historical events, and social
critique
He was the first to show the true horrors
of war
His Style-Con’t.
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He is called “The father of Modern
Art” as he has influenced many 19th
& 20th century artists
“Imagination abandoned by reason
produces impossible monsters; united
with it, she is the mother of the arts and
the origin and source of their wonders.”
(Francisco de Goya)
Goya
Straw Mannequin (Dummy) (1792-2)
1. An example of a
tapestry design made
for the apartments of
the Escorial palace
2. Shows a typical, lighthearted tradition during
carnival.
3. A scene of
contemporary life
El Escorial
Goya
Witches’ Sabbath (1821-1823)
1. One of the black paintings, it
shows a scene of despair,
cynicism, and nightmare
visions
2. Satan as a goat-man presides
over a coven of ugly witches
who offer up children as
sacrifice
3. This is a condemnation of the
popular superstition of the era
surrounding the inquisition
and witch trials
4. During this era, royalists used
fear of accusation of
witchcraft to control the lower
class
Goya—Saturn
Devouring His
Children
1. One of the black paintings
2. Portrays Roman myth of Saturn who is
told that one of his sons will
overthrow him as he did to his own
father
3. To prevent this, Saturn eats each of
his children as they are born
4. His wife, Ops, hides the 6th son,
Jupiter, and fools Saturn by giving
him a rock dressed in swaddling
5. Jupiter eventually overthrows his
father and the prophecy is fulfilled
6. Many interpretations exist of this
painting:
-conflict between youth & old age
-time devours all things
-Goya’s relationship with his
son, Xavier who is the only one
of six to survive into adulthood
Goya The Clothed (Naked) Maja
(1800-1803)
1. The first “totally profane lifesize female nude in Western
art”
2. The same woman in the same
pose is in both
3. Her identity is not certain but
some believe it is the Dutchess
of Alba who may have been
having an affair with Goya
4. It was owned, however, by a
friend of Goya’s, Manuel de
Godoy, and is probably his
mistress. Godoy was exiled
due to the inquisition at which
time the painting was seized by
Ferdinand VII.
Goya—The Shootings of May 3rd 1808
(1814)
1. Commemorates the
Spanish resistance to
Napoleon’s army
2. A groundbreaking,
archetypal image of the
horrors of war
3. The victims have faces
but the killers do not,
thus showing war as
anonymous killing
4. This painting ended the
tradition of showing
killing as noble and war
as glorious
Goya
Extra notes
The Milkmaid of Bordeaux (18251827) is believed to be a portrait of
Leocadia or her daughter Rosario.
The Black Paintings were
transferred from the walls to canvas
after his death.
The portrait of “Family of Charles
IV”
-Goya is in the back, painting
the picture
-The family is not painted as
beautiful but true to life
-The girl in the back who is
facing the wall is said to be the
future wife of the prince and
therefore was not yet known
Francisco Goya
Self Portrait w/ Dr. Arrieta