Last of the Old Masters, first of the moderns

April 16, On This Day

The passing of a great portraitist

Born in March 1746, Francisco José de Goya y Lucientes passed away on April 16, 1828. The Spanish romantic painter and printmaker is was immensely successful in his lifetime, and is often referred to as both the last of the Old Masters and the first of the moderns. He was also one of the great portraitists of his time.

The early portion of his career is marked by portraits of the Spanish aristocracy and royalty, and Rococo-style tapestry cartoons designed for the royal palace. A severe and undiagnosed illness in 1793 left him deaf, after which his work became progressively darker and pessimistic. His later easel and mural paintings, prints and drawings appear to reflect a bleak outlook on personal, social and political levels, and contrast with his social climbing. Subsequent wars affected him deeply, and a wide variety of paintings revolve around insanity, mental asylums, witches, fantastical creatures and religious and political corruption, all of which suggest fear for his country’s fate and his own mental and physical health. His late period culminates with his famous series of Black Paintings. Goya eventually retired to the French city of Bordeaux, before he passed away.

His influence in history is significant. In the early 20th century, Spanish masters Pablo Picasso and Salvador Dalí drew influence from Los Caprichos and the Black Paintings of Goya.  In the 21st century, American postmodern painters such as Michael Zansky and Bradley Rubenstein draw inspiration from ‘The Dream of Reason Produces Monsters’.

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