Francisco de Goya

Francisco de Goya was court painter to the kings of Spain – and at the same time their sharpest observer. He painted splendour, madness and the horror of war.

Life

Born in Fuendetodos near Zaragoza in 1746, he first designed cartoons for the royal tapestry factory in Madrid. In 1799 he became First Court Painter. Around 1793 a serious illness left him deaf, after which his art became darker and more personal. He lived through the Napoleonic occupation of Spain and recorded its atrocities in the “Disasters of War”. In 1824 he moved to Bordeaux, where he died in 1828.

Style & technique

Goya painted with a loose, rapid brush and could show splendour and weakness at once in his portraits. In his print series he used aquatint for deep shadows and greys. He mocked superstition and the abuse of power and was among the first artists to show war without heroism.

Look closely

  • The faces in the portraits: is he flattering – or exposing?
  • The aquatint: flat grey tones in the etchings create night and menace.
  • The titles: they comment on the scene, often bitterly or ironically.

Timeline

  • 1746: Born in Fuendetodos.
  • c. 1793: Serious illness; loses his hearing.
  • 1799: Print series “Los Caprichos”; appointed First Court Painter.
  • 1810–1820: “The Disasters of War”.
  • 1828: Dies in Bordeaux.

Works in the museum