The dark arts of Francisco Goya

March 30, On This Day

Much is known over the centuries about the mighty legacy of Spanish romantic painter and printmaker Francisco Goya, who was born on March 30, 1746, at least 276 years ago. Such as the fact that he is often referred to as the last of the Old Masters and the first of the moderns. Or that he was, for a time, a court painter to the Spanish Crown. Or, that in the early 20th century, Spanish masters like Pablo Picasso and Salvador Dalí have drawn inspiration from this behemoth before their time.

Another aspect of Goya\’s lifetime that is discussed in detail, especially since it profoundly influenced his art, is his illness and deepening cynicism for life. A severe and undiagnosed illness in 1793 left him deaf, after which his work became progressively darker and pessimistic.

It is reported that Goya was tormented by a dread of old age and fear of madness, the latter possibly from anxiety. From the late 1810s he lived in near-solitude outside Madrid in a farmhouse converted into a studio. The house had become known as \”La Quinta del Sordo\” (The House of the Deaf Man), after the nearest farmhouse that had coincidentally also belonged to a deaf man.

At the age of 75, alone and in mental and physical despair, he completed the work of his iconic 14 Black Paintings, all of which were executed in oil directly onto the plaster walls of his house. Goya did not intend for the paintings to be exhibited, and never spoke or wrote of them.

Yet, half a century after he passed on, they were taken down and transferred to a canvas support. Tragically, many works were significantly altered during restoration, and also suffered the ravages of time. However, whatever they now remain is on permanent display at the Museo del Prado, Madrid.

On a lighter aside: Goya also painted La Maja Desnuda (La maja desnuda) — \”the first totally profane life-size female nude in Western art\” without pretense to allegorical or mythological meaning.