Goya, full of unknown nightmare,
Baking the fetus during the night meeting of the Witch Demon,
Old woman looking in the mirror and naked children,
Dress up and seducing the arrival of the devil;
—Charles Baudelaire)[1]
Francisco Goya (1746-1828) is one of the most famous Spanish artists in the late 18th and early 19th century. He is famous for his paintings with great personal style and fantasy colors. As a social critic and witness to the turbulent era, his artistic career was closely linked to political changes at the turn of the 18th and 19th centuries. Goya tries to use his works to portray the personality and soul deep in the heart of human beings. His artistic works involve different media such as oil paintings, wet murals, sketches, etched paintings and lithographic printing prints . The creative theme ranges from the royal palace to the streets and alleys, and the scope of the creation is far beyond that of other artists of the same era.
Metropolitan Museum of Art Exhibition Site "Goya: The Imagination of Graphic Art"
Since 1935, The Metropolitan Museum of Art of New York has been committed to collecting Goya's works and is considered one of the most outstanding Goya paintings and print collection institutions outside Spain. On February 21, 2021, "Goya's Graphic Imagination" exhibited at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, selected more than 100 important works from his collection of works. Based on time as a clue, it shows the changes in artistic style in the art life in three exhibition halls - the learning of previous masters by a court painter in his early years, and the transformation of artistic concepts caused by the turmoil of the Peninsular War in the early 19th century. The suffering of illness and exile in his later years made his works darker and more gloomy. Through the visual narrative of the exhibition and with new era experience, this exhibition re-examines Goya's works of art, showing how artists can portray the pain, contradictions and conflicts deep in human nature through their rich imagination.
1. As a court painter,
Goya showed his talent for painting when he was a teenager. He studied under the guidance of the famous local painter José Luzány Martínez from the age of 14, and later moved to Madrid and continued his studies with the court painter Anton Raphael Mengs. In 1774, Goya was invited by Mens to draw a sample of the tapestry for the Royal Tapestry Factory in Madrid [2] and handed over it to the Royal Tapestry Factory in Santa Barbara for knitting. In terms of expression style and subject matter, Goya used a light and bright Rococo style to depict typical life scenes in Spain at that time. After these sample drafts were woven into tapestries and became decorations of the palace, Goya's style was recognized and praised by the royal family, thus allowing it to enter and exit the palace. The work "Blind Guitarist" on the exhibition is an etched print based on tapestries that has become a precious material for this period. Although the original manuscript was returned by the weaver due to the complex design and composition, Goya's delicate description of the character's expression and posture can still be seen [3]. It was through the work of drawing samples that Goya's talent was revealed and it also became the beginning of his relationship with the royal family.
Francisco Goya, "The Blind Guitarist", etching prints, 1778
Work and study experience in the court led to the formation of Goya's personal style. During this process, Mens provided a lot of help to Goya. Under his suggestion, Goya, who entered the court, began to study the paintings of Velazquez in the royal collection, and turned his oil paintings into etching prints. At this time, he had begun to pay attention to those strange and confusing subjects in works with a large number of works and rich subjects, such as a series of dwarf portraits painted by Velasgui.In portraying El Primo, the jester of King Philip IV, Goya inherited the observation and sympathy of human nature by Velazquez's original paintings, and his realistic style had a profound influence on Goya.
Diego Velázguizi, "The Victory of the Baccarat Bakus", oil painting on canvas, now in the Museum of Prado, Spain, 1628
Francisco Goya, "The Fake Velázguizi's Crown Drunk", etching prints, 1778
Goya also replicated the works of Velázguizi's mythology. From Goya's etched print "A False Bacchus Crowning Drunkards", we can see how he learned and drew from the works of previous masters and developed his own style. The Triumph of Bacchus, created by Velazquez in 1628, depicts the scene of the plump but unsteady Bacchus surrounded by a group of drunkards, who is crowning the young man kneeling in front of him. Goya does not try to completely imitate or translate the previous work, but interpret it in his own way. By comparing the two, it can be seen that Goya portrays Bakus' image more mature and shrewd. He uses his own understanding and new media expression to make the painting more secular, and has removed the halo of the ideal image of Dionysian. Goya's works are obviously closer to the real people's lives.
Exhibition site
1789, Goya was officially appointed as a court painter by the Spanish Bourbon Royal Family for his superb portrait painting skills. Since then, he has had close ties with the royal family throughout his life. He has experienced the rule of four monarchs and worked for the royal family for forty years. During his tenure as a court painter, in addition to painting portraits for the royal family [4], Goya painted different series of albums (albums) [5]. Unlike orders made by the court commission, these images were not made for public viewing, Goya had no intention of displaying them publicly, through which he expressed his views on the political situation and his passion and persistence in art. In the early 1770s, Goya suffered severe hearing loss due to a disease, but he also paid more attention to his inner world. At this time, he began to create his first album collection - Album A. There are only 18 sketches in this series, showing the scenes of women cleaning and sleeping. By the mid-1990s, the subject matter involved in series B (Album B) began to be grand. There were 98 known works in the series. Goya revealed the social relations at that time by depicting the depraved scenes of indulging in wine and sex. Below each piece in the series there are phrases or short sentences as the theme revealing Goya’s creative intentions. In this series of works, Goya hides sharp satire in his portrayal of how people behave, exploring the interactions between people in Spanish society at that time on a broader dimension.
Francisco Goya, "They took her away!" 》, etched prints, many scenes and themes of the 1799
B series album collection constitute the inspiration for its famous print series "Capricos", published in 1799. Spanish word "caprichos", translated as a subject of fantasy in Chinese, Goya uses it as the title of the work, emphasizing the imagination of art. The series of prints has a total of 80 pieces, the first of which focuses on social customs and depicts stories of absurdity and vanity. The second part turns into a darker superstitious subject—monsters, witchcraft and stories of satirical ignorance. In this series of creations, Goya tried the very popular flying dust corrosion platemaking technology (aquatint) [6], allowing the technology to better express the theme of the painting, so that the audience can feel the emotional state of the characters and the dark and depressing social atmosphere at that time from the delicate tone changes of the picture.
Francisco Goya, Draft of "The Sleep of Reasons" by "The Sleep of Reasons" by "The Sleep of Reasons" by "The Sleep of Reasons" by "The Sleep of Reasons" by "The Sleep of Reasons" by "The Sleep of Reasons" by "The Sleep of Reasons" by "The Sleep of Reasons" by "The Sleep of Reasons" by "The Sleep of Reasons" by "The Sleep of Reasons" by "The Sleep of Reasons" by "The Sleep of Reasons" by "The Sleep of Reasons" by "The Sleep of Reasons" by "The Sleep of Reasons" by "The Sleep of Reasons" by "The Sleep of Reasons" by "The Sleep of Reasons" by "The Sleep of Reasons" by "The Sleep of Reasons" by "The Sleep of Reasons" by "The Sleep of Reasons" by "The Sleep of Reasons" by "The Sleep of Reasons" by "The Sleep of Reasons" by "The Sleep of Reasons" by "The Sleep of Reasons" by "The Sleep of Reasons" by "The Sleep of Reasons" by "The Sleep of Reasons" by "The Sleep of Reasons" by "The Sleep of Reasons" by "The Sleep of Reasons" by "The Sleep of Reasons" by "The Sleep of Reasons" by "The Sleep of Reasons" by "The Sleep of Reasons" by "The Sleep of Reasons" by "The Sleep The vision broke out in his nightmare: he was surrounded by black cats, lynxes, owls and bats. There is a slogan of the Enlightenment period written on the desk: "Rationality is gone forever, superstition thrives." At that time, the Enlightenment Thought was widely spread in Europe. This set of works had a huge impact on the society at that time and was considered to be an exposal and criticism of Spanish society in the 18th century and even the entire human society at that time.
Francisco Goya, Draft of "The Sleep of Rational Produce Monsters", 1796 - 1797
In addition, the exhibition also displays the sketch of Goya for "The Sleep of Rational Produce Monsters", from which we can find a more secret message: above the sleeping man is a self-portrait of the artist, showing that he originally wanted to insert his perspective into the picture, but in the final presented work, he gave up the depiction of his self-image. We may not know the reasons for abandoning our self-image, but this way of handling has led the work to a more general and general observation of the self and the outside world. You can also imagine the fear and pain that Goya faces.
2. During the Peninsula War
Francisco Goya, "Giant", oil painting on canvas, is now in the Museum of Prado, Spain. 1818 - 1825
1808, the army of Napoleon entered Spain, triggering the 6-year Peninsula War, with many victims, and Spanish society was split for a while. The second part of the exhibition unfolds in the haze of war, and the center of the exhibition displays the most eye-catching work of the exhibition - "Seated Giant". The print in the Metropolitan Museum of Art is believed to be closely related to Goya's famous oil painting "The Colossus" in the Museo del Prado in Spain. The painting was inspired by the patriotic poem "Prophecy of the Pyrenees" written by the Spanish poet Juan Bautista Arriaza in the same year. The poem depicts a "giant" representing the Spanish spirit or guardian, standing up to fight against Napoleon and the invading French army. In the oil painting, the heroic and huge body of the giant and the masses who joined the resistance below constituted a visual impact, revealing the artist's empathy with the motherland.
Francisco Goya, "The Sitting Giant", etched prints, 1818
But in the print works, its theme and emotions are even more obscure: the giant sits in a wilderness, turning his gaze to the audience, as if he has just been awakened from deep thought, sleep or depression. Goya uses the technique of printmaking to make the light of the picture achieve a subtle effect of light and darkness: the moment he turns, it seems dawn is coming. The whole picture conveys a strange atmosphere, and a kind of uneasiness permeates the entire composition. This work also set a deeper tone for the exhibition hall, from which we can see how war changed the lives of Spanish people and also changed Goya's life trajectory.
Francisco Goya, "The Truth is Dead", etched prints, 1814–1815 (published in 1863)
As an artistic response to the Spanish Peninsula War, Goya created 82 "The Disasters of War" series of prints from 1810 to 1820: the first part reflects struggle, murder, violence and the unfair treatment of civilians; the second part tells the story of a famine in Madrid between 1811 and 1812, including starvation and death; the third part is a close-up scene, ironic about a bad government and a corrupt church.These scenes are like snapshots, aiming to show the pain of ordinary people. In this "disaster", there are no so-called martyrs, only humiliation, hunger and broken limbs. The soul is a forgotten thing, and there is only endless, physical pain in the picture.
Francisco Goya, "Landscape", etched prints, 1807-1810
Another set of "Landscape" series of prints was created between 1807 and 1810, conveying a mysterious and disturbing atmosphere through simple images. The composition of the picture faintly conveys an unstable state: the characters in the foreground show a strong contrast with the majestic natural landscape; the huge rocks in the middle are divided into two by two dead trees; on the left, two huge clouds are coming towards them, as if they are rushing towards the two unprepared characters in the foreground.
After the outbreak of the Peninsula War, Goya's works became more personal and introspective. The works of this period clearly demonstrated his hatred of war and conflict, his sympathy for the pain and despair suffered by people, and presented the most terrifying scenes of mankind in the work in a metaphorical form.
3. "Black Painting" period and exile in his later years
Francisco Goya, "The Way of Flight", etched prints, 1815-1816 (published in 1864)
1814, after the end of the Peninsula War, the exiled Spanish King Fernando VII (Ferinand VII) returned to Madrid. When the exhausted people thought the war was finally over, they ushered in a cruel and autocratic monarch. Against the backdrop of the cruel political situation, Goya's health has deteriorated and headed towards the final stage of his life, and the theme of his works has become darker and more obscure. The etched print "Disparates" [7] created by Goya during this period is more chaotic and gloomy than the previous series of "Gapricos" and "Disaster of War" and "The Disaster of War". The entire series seems to be portraying some strange and tense scenes, and the etching technique gives a "twilight feeling" - it is neither night nor day, neither dusk nor dawn. This series was made around 1815 and was completed around 1819. Goya seems to suggest from a more non-narrative perspective that the pain will continue, and also heralds his increasingly poor mental state.
Francisco Goya, "Bulfighting Performance in the Bordeaux Semi-Circle Bullfighting Ring", lithograph, 1825
1824, Spanish political unrest continued, and the 78-year-old Goya was completely deaf, and was in exile to France due to fear that she would be persecuted as a liberal. This time he left his hometown, he felt extremely anxious. Here, he created four huge lithographs, "Bulls of Bordeaux", which depict the brutality of bullfighting in memory. In a French biography published in 1858, biographer Laurent Matheron tells the general situation of Goya's creation at that time - due to his declining vision, he needed to use a magnifying glass to complete the prints. This also makes the prints present a complex visual texture. Goya puts the lithograph on the easel and covers the entire surface with a uniform grey tone before scraping off the highlights. This series is also the last set of large-scale works created by Goya in the final stage of his life. When he realized that death was approaching, he still had a strong emotion about the theme of bullfighting. This theme also symbolizes his life's destiny closely linked to his motherland, Spain.
Francisco Goya, "Self-Portrait", Sketch, 1796
After Goya passed away, his portrayal of the dark side of human nature has attracted the attention of many critics and scholars. The irrational and emotional factors contained in his paintings inspired many later modernist artists. He was called "the last master of the feudal era" and was also the first artist to portray the lives of ordinary people with deep compassion and shocking realism.The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York has always been interested in those universal subjects and subjects: How does art understand the nature of human nature? How will we face ongoing conflict, violence, superstition and fear? Through the re-examination of Goya's sketches and prints, the exhibition hopes to get answers to our era.
compiled丨Li Yurong
Editor丨Yang Zhonghui
article is mainly compiled from the official website of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York and related comments. The pictures are from the official website of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York and the official website of the Prado Museum in Spain.
Note:
[1] Selected from the seventh poem section of "Flowers of Evil", "The Beacons".
[2] The word "cartoon" comes from Italian "cartone", which means a large piece of paper. It refers to a base map or artwork of the same size that is first depicted on the paper in order to make patterns such as murals, oil paintings, mosaics, tapestries, etc.
[3] In 1778, Goya submitted a tapestry sketch to the Royal Tapestry Factory. He originally planned to let the weaver knit into a tapestry to decorate the dormitory of Prince Asturias and the princess in the palace of Elpado, but the pattern was too complicated for the weaver to complete. The etched print made by Goya based on the sketch was his largest print at that time.
[4] In addition to the sketches and prints exhibited this time, the Metropolitan Museum of Art also collects a batch of palace portraits drawn by Goya. Audiences can move to the permanent exhibition hall No. 619 to visit.
[5] Painting is an indispensable part of Goya's works. It is both an independent creation and a source of inspiration for his drafts and inspiration when preparing works from other media. In it he recorded personal thoughts, which are often expressed through complex images. Goya believes that these drafts are a database that he can refer to at any time. About one-third of his existing paintings come from his eight albums, which are now lost.
[6] "aquatint" is also known as "flying dust corrosion method", and was most widely used between about 1770 and 1830. This technique evenly sprinkles dot-shaped anticorrosion materials onto the panel, and melts and sticks them onto the panel by heating. Put the plate into the corrosion liquid, and any areas where the dot-shaped anticorrosion material is not adhered to will be corroded to form a depression. After removing the dot-shaped anticorrosion material, it will be printed with ink to form a tone. If the corrosion time is long, the color tone will be deep, and if it is light, you can control the corrosion time of each part of the picture with anticorrosion liquid, and you can get many changes in the layer. In addition, due to the thickness, sparseness, density of the dot-like anticorrosion materials on the layout, or repeated repeated dust corrosion, the picture can be given changes
[7] This series is also called "Follies" or "Irrationalities".
Reference:
[1] The New York Metropolitan Museum of Art Official Website, URL link: https://www.metmuseum.org/exhibitions/listings/2020/goyas-graphic-imigination
[2] The New York Times (The New York Times) Times)》 Exhibition Comment, URL link:
https://www.nytimes.com/2021/02/11/arts/design/goya-met-museum.html
[3] "The Art Newspaper (The Art Newspaper)》》 Exhibition Comment, URL link:
https://www.theartnewspaper.com/review/goya-s-graphic-imigination
[4] "The Village Voice Voice)》 News report, URL link:
https://www.villagevoice.com/2021/02/12/our-time-begs-for-goya
[5] Ives C & Susan Alyson Stein, Goya in The Metropolitan Museum of Art, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, 1995.
[6] (Italian) by Paula Laperi, translated by Su Yili. Goya [M]. Beijing Times Huawen Book Company, 2015.
Exhibition information
Goya: The imagination of graphic art
2021.2.21-2021.5.2
(opened from Thursday to Monday 10:00-17:00, closed on Tuesday and Wednesday)
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, 691-693 Exhibition Hall
