Francisco Goya And His Uprising Through His Paintings
When we talk of Francisco Goya, we often think of his dark themed paintings.
But how come he placed much emphasis on such though provoking images? In this article, we are going to talk about the life of one great Spanish painter who was dubbed to be the last of the old and the first of the modern breed of masters, Francisco Goya.
This article aims to provide useful information to know the life and works of this man that made him a renowned figure in the Spanish art community and to the world as well.
A Famed Man Who Never Feared To Share His Views: Francisco was born Francisco de Goya y Lucientes on March 30 of 1746 at the place called Fuendentodos which is near Zaragoza in Spain.
Both of his parents came from the noble family of Aragon.
Francisco honed his artistic skills at the age of 14 when he studied under the tutelage of Jose Luzan who was a local painter in their area.
He stayed under Luzan for the next four years.
In 1763, Francisco Goya went to Madrid for the purpose of obtaining a prize in the Academy of San Fernando.
He failed to win the prize, but he was able to meet Francisco Bayeu, and Argonese artist.
Bayeu's friendship with Goya can be much credited to his artistic formation as Goya started applying delicate tones on his paintings which became his trademark.
In 1771, Goya travelled to Rome, Italy to polishing his artistic craft.
It was in this period that he took part in the Academy of Parma competition which he won the second prize.
He then returned to Spain in 1773 and he became involved with many art activities.
He also married Bayeu's sister, Josefa on July 25 in the same year.
He made paintings to be woven by the Royal Tapestry Factory and over the course of 5 years, he designed some 42 tapestry patterns for the Spanish monarchs in Madrid.
His skill as an artist was later recognized by the royal blood that he was permitted to work in the royal court.
He was then appointed to be a member Royal Academy of the Arts after painting the altar of the San Francisco El Grande Church.
After gaining much respect through his artistic works, Francisco Goya was then appointed to be the painter for the King of Spain.
This was the highest position an artist could achieve in their country at that time.
He continued making paintings for tapestry carpets and these works depicted sceneries of everyday Spanish life.
He also made portraits like "Carlos III", "Hunter", "The Dukes of Osuna and their children", and his 2 famous paintings entitled the "Maja Naked" and the "Maja Clothed".
In 1792, Francisco Goya suffered an undetermined illness which led him to lose his hearing.
Though he went completely deaf, he still remained determined and continued doing non-commissioned paintings.
Aside from that, he was still appointed to be the director of the Royal Academy in 1795.
It was in this period that he incorporated subversive element in his paintings to show the plight of his people.
He turned his work into etchings and he later called this as "Los Caprichos" in 1799.
These 80 prints showed the images of repression, greed, and corruption that was plaguing the country at that time.
One painting that delivered a strong impact would have to be "The Third Of May 1808" which vivid showed the repression of the authorities to the ordinary people.
His aggressive criticism even led the king to confront him and said, "You should have been garroted, but since you are a great artist we forgive you".
Goya kept his advocacy to reveal the true situation of his country through paintings.
It was a risky move, but he thought it was worth it.
Eventually, the political climate became so tense that he decided to exile in Bordeaux, France.
His health was deteriorating, but he still continued doing portraits of most of his friends who were also in exile.
Francisco Goya died on April 16, 1828 at the age of 82.
Conclusion: Francisco Goya will always be remembered as a brilliant painter who revolted against repression through his paintings.
He risked his personal life for the sake of revealing the suffering of his country.
He was very efficient in using paintings to deliver an impactful message to the government and to his people.
And because of this, he paved the way for modern artist to do the same as he did and somehow change the world for the better.
But how come he placed much emphasis on such though provoking images? In this article, we are going to talk about the life of one great Spanish painter who was dubbed to be the last of the old and the first of the modern breed of masters, Francisco Goya.
This article aims to provide useful information to know the life and works of this man that made him a renowned figure in the Spanish art community and to the world as well.
A Famed Man Who Never Feared To Share His Views: Francisco was born Francisco de Goya y Lucientes on March 30 of 1746 at the place called Fuendentodos which is near Zaragoza in Spain.
Both of his parents came from the noble family of Aragon.
Francisco honed his artistic skills at the age of 14 when he studied under the tutelage of Jose Luzan who was a local painter in their area.
He stayed under Luzan for the next four years.
In 1763, Francisco Goya went to Madrid for the purpose of obtaining a prize in the Academy of San Fernando.
He failed to win the prize, but he was able to meet Francisco Bayeu, and Argonese artist.
Bayeu's friendship with Goya can be much credited to his artistic formation as Goya started applying delicate tones on his paintings which became his trademark.
In 1771, Goya travelled to Rome, Italy to polishing his artistic craft.
It was in this period that he took part in the Academy of Parma competition which he won the second prize.
He then returned to Spain in 1773 and he became involved with many art activities.
He also married Bayeu's sister, Josefa on July 25 in the same year.
He made paintings to be woven by the Royal Tapestry Factory and over the course of 5 years, he designed some 42 tapestry patterns for the Spanish monarchs in Madrid.
His skill as an artist was later recognized by the royal blood that he was permitted to work in the royal court.
He was then appointed to be a member Royal Academy of the Arts after painting the altar of the San Francisco El Grande Church.
After gaining much respect through his artistic works, Francisco Goya was then appointed to be the painter for the King of Spain.
This was the highest position an artist could achieve in their country at that time.
He continued making paintings for tapestry carpets and these works depicted sceneries of everyday Spanish life.
He also made portraits like "Carlos III", "Hunter", "The Dukes of Osuna and their children", and his 2 famous paintings entitled the "Maja Naked" and the "Maja Clothed".
In 1792, Francisco Goya suffered an undetermined illness which led him to lose his hearing.
Though he went completely deaf, he still remained determined and continued doing non-commissioned paintings.
Aside from that, he was still appointed to be the director of the Royal Academy in 1795.
It was in this period that he incorporated subversive element in his paintings to show the plight of his people.
He turned his work into etchings and he later called this as "Los Caprichos" in 1799.
These 80 prints showed the images of repression, greed, and corruption that was plaguing the country at that time.
One painting that delivered a strong impact would have to be "The Third Of May 1808" which vivid showed the repression of the authorities to the ordinary people.
His aggressive criticism even led the king to confront him and said, "You should have been garroted, but since you are a great artist we forgive you".
Goya kept his advocacy to reveal the true situation of his country through paintings.
It was a risky move, but he thought it was worth it.
Eventually, the political climate became so tense that he decided to exile in Bordeaux, France.
His health was deteriorating, but he still continued doing portraits of most of his friends who were also in exile.
Francisco Goya died on April 16, 1828 at the age of 82.
Conclusion: Francisco Goya will always be remembered as a brilliant painter who revolted against repression through his paintings.
He risked his personal life for the sake of revealing the suffering of his country.
He was very efficient in using paintings to deliver an impactful message to the government and to his people.
And because of this, he paved the way for modern artist to do the same as he did and somehow change the world for the better.
Source...