Francisco Goya: A Master of Artistic Evolution and Social Commentary
1. The Uniqueness of Goya’s Genius
In Spain, the figure of **Goya** stands above all others. His work incorporates different artistic currents of the passage from the eighteenth to the nineteenth century, and his personal pictorial language anticipates new avenues of artistic expression.
Spain at the time of Goya (1746-1828) suffered the first major collapse that opens its contemporary history. From the Ancien Regime, through the brief moment of false hope that enlightened reforms represent, you come to the tragedy of the Napoleonic invasion and the War of Independence, failed liberal and terror of the restoration of Ferdinand VII absolutist disastrously extending the backwardness of Spain for its European neighbors. Goya is an exceptional witness to these events, leaving a critical, scathing, and deep.
The contemporary of Goya with the greatest representatives of Neoclassicism, like David and Canova, does not mean that the Aragonese artist identifies with the aesthetic neo-classical.
Goya is a singular artist whose genius superior to its contemporary European and takes you through new and original ways that the artist explores, assuming all the risks involved in not ascribed to any movement or aesthetic model.
The evolution of his painting style is not linear, evolution moves simultaneously in several ways.
2. His Pictorial Evolution
The Rococo and Neoclassical Influences
Francisco de Goya was born in Fuendetodos (Zaragoza) in 1746. It forms in the workshop of Joseph Luzán, Zaragoza. We know who travels to Italy, where he participated in the contest of the Academy of Fine Arts in Parma, presenting a picture with the theme Hannibal passing the Alps (1771). It appears that some projects currently within the neoclassical assumptions, such as the Sacrifice to Vesta (1771).
However, Goya is more concerned with the color for purity of line. The neoclassical concept of beauty is not the main reason for Goya’s art.
Sacrifice to Vesta
Hannibal passing the Alps
By 1775 he settled in Madrid, where required by Mengs began to draw cartoons for tapestries to decorate the rooms of the royal family. These cards masterfully captures the charm rococo, in many respects, it recalls the work of Watteau. In scenes such as The Parasol (1777) o The blind man (1787) the painter acquires its full training in the profession, both for the domain of color and composition.
At the same time in other works such as the frescoes in the Cupola del Pilar de Zaragoza (1780-1781), where the influence of Baroque compositions is present.
At this time also does portraits ‘rococo’ as La Marquise de Pontejos (1785) and The Family of the Duke of Osuna (1788)
In recent years, catches the attention the work San Francisco de Borja attending a dying man (1788). Within a baroque composition and scenery, Goya introduces us to a table where we anticipate two key aspects of his future work and contemporary art: Expressionism and the theme of the imagined representation of monstrous figures.
Fullness
From 1780 he was named Academic of Fine Arts and in 1786 is a painter of Charles III, becoming later in court painter to King Charles IV.
At the beginning of the nineties, have an illness that puts you at the gates of death but will cure him for life will be the sequel to his deafness. This leads to a change in the artist, his work reaches the highest levels of originality and fullness that accompany him to his death.
In this period some of his paintings is reflected romantic themes to be found in Turner and Gericault:
3. The Portraits
Goya portrays characters from the nobility, the royal family, intellectuals, and artists-les. His portraits reflect the personality deep human being regardless of social status and appearance.
Among the portraits include that of The Duchess of Alba, or the portrait of Jovellanos.
In The Family of Charles IV (1800-1801), the royal family is portrayed as if it were a snapshot.
Behind the scenes, Goya portrays himself running the table, as if it were a homage to Velázquez in Las Meninas.
Without sacrificing the fidelity of the physical features of the models, Goya enters the psychological traits of the characters.
4. The Engravings
It is in his prints (the moods, the Disasters of War, Bullfighting, and nonsense) where Goya shows us his particular vision of society of his time.
In this series of critical social ills, and offers a high moral sense.
5. The Paintings on the 2nd and 3rd May
In 1814 two of his paintings made more revolutionary. On May 2, 1808 in Madrid: The charge of the mame-LUCAS and The May 3, 1808 in Madrid: the executions on Principe Pio hill.
In them, Goya first introduces the subject of a vicious act of war as if it were a news story.
6. The Black Paintings
Between 1820 and 1825 in the so-called Quinta del Sordo, Goya has acquired property on the banks of the Manzanares, made on its walls one of the most amazing of the history of painting, which breaks previous pictorial tradition.
A world grotesque, absurd, and mysterious is executed with a technique that seems aggressive and outright break before us in awe. With these paintings gives us a deeply pessimistic view about the world and men. Coven scenes of violent struggles in which the figures and faces are distorted: the expressionism of the twentieth century appears on the walls of this farm.
Two old eating soup Saturn devouring his children
7. Latest Works
A year before his death, and in Bordeaux The Milkmaid of Bordeaux paint (1827), table which recovers the color, the lighting effect that vibrates the atmosphere full of small strokes. Due to its characteristics, this table Announces Impressionism.