Francisco José de Goya y Luciente
The artist that I am presenting is Francisco Jose de Goya Y Lucientes. How Francisco Goya fits in the gallery of horror is, he represents the pain and suffering he felt and puts it in his paintings throughout his years alive. For the horror or darkness of the paintings it brings forth a scary truth he lived while serving under the dictatorship of Napoleon. Also, the feelings he felt when becoming deaf became a horror that was uncontrollable or even able to bare. In his paintings there are even mysteries on why he produced the work because they were seen as mysterious and dark that might resemble his own dark feeling right before death.
Francisco De Goya, the painter, lived to be 82 years old. He was born on March 30, 1746 in Fuendetodos, Spain and died on April 16, 1828 in Bordeaux, France. Goya's father was a glider while his mom was a housewife. While starting his career in art, he apprenticed under Jose Luzan at the age of 14. The he went to study art at Italy with his friend Fransico Ramon Bayeu. But, then went to Rome to study the classics. When he came back to Saragossa in 1771, his art style was rococo style and painted frescoes on a cathedral in Saragossa. In 1773 he became a husband to Josefa Bayeu and a father to Javier his only surviving child.
Between the time 1775-1792 he became a cartoon painter for the royal tapestry. The paintings were about people’s contemporary life. Fransico sought the opportunity to submit his work to the Academy of Fine Arts at Parma, but in getting the result, he got rejected. But that didn’t stop him because he continued to get better by creating painted tapestry for Spain’s royal court. Then he was appointed as a painter of the royal court in 1779. This led him to become a director in Royal Academy of San Fernando and student. He received recognition by the royal court through his fine detailed portraits.
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During the age of enlightenment Goya was influenced to express his feelings for nonreligious reasons. But in 1789 he became a court painter for Charles IV. However in 1792 Goya had a serious illness which led him to become permanently deaf. Then, Spain was invaded by Napoleon in 1808 and Goya became a painter for the French. But, Goya painted the Third of May 1808 which focused on the execution of the Spaniards captured. There he was influenced by the Romantic Era (Romanticism). Then in 1814, the new king of Spain rejected the paintings he produced for the French. In 1819 Goya went to live in the outskirts of Madrid where he created the Black Paintings on the walls of his house. After that, he moved to France because of all the political uproar there was and died on April 16, 1828.
ART WORK
The Great He-Goat
The Great He-Goat is a painting that has a contrast of dark neutral colors. It was painted between 1820-23. Also there is one element of light that is pointing towards them in the painting There is also an element of the color black that makes up a character in the painting or dark pigments. The shape of the paintings is accommodating for the amount of people there are. The dimensions are 14 feet wide and 4 feet and 5 inches tall. There are also brushstrokes that blend in the background from light to dark from right to left. This is known as Goya's “Black Paintings” that represent his last paintings.
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The meaning of The Great He-Goat is there is a goat in all black that represents Satan that is surrounded by witches in a coven. The witches are all terrified because of the worried expression they have. The witches can either be women or men or even both because there facial features are clear to be determined. It was a painting that was done one a wall and transferred to canvas. Also it represents the declining health of the artist Fransico Goya and his darkest fears.
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This painting supports the theme of horror because it represents what the people or Goya found scary. Satan or the devil is something that Goya painted in his paintings that represented how terrified he was dying.
Witches flight
The painting Witches Flight has a dimension of 1 feet by 1 feet and 4 inches. The painting is colorful but has some browns and blackness. There are neutral colors like the background. The colors are red, green and gold. There is a contrast between light and darkness in the painting from top to bottom. It is part of a series called Caprichos (whims).
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The meaning of Witches Flight is a man trying to protect himself from the flying witches with dunces hats or it can even a pope’s hat. The man at the bottom can be seen as terrified by the witches because he is protecting himself with a white cloth that can mean that he’s pure. But with both hands he is protecting him from the evil eye by making a gesture.There is also a donkey that represents ignorance because he is just observing without feeling.
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This artwork supports the gallery of horror by representing how people were scared by superstitions of witches. This also contributes on how death is scary and is trying to be avoided by anyone. It gives a mysterious sense of horror that Goya can be represented as being surrounded by the witches trying to kill him or escaping.
Saturn devouring his son
The painting Saturn Devouring His Sons Represent a dark background that enhances Saturn’s image. The Dimensions of the paintings is 4 feet 8 inches by 2 feet 8 inches which is average size painting. The tone is set as having rich colors while having a light that reflect all the Saturns image as well. There are broad brushstrokes thought the paintings. This gives it a dark theme within his painting. This painting is also known as “The Black Paintings” Goya painted during as his home La Quinta del Sordo in Madrid.
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The meaning of Saturn Devouring His Sons is it depicts Titan Krous a Greek myth, eating his son. Fransico Goya switched his name to Saturn. Here Saturn was prophesied that one of his sons would dethrone him and so he starts eating them away but Jupiter his son escapes, and is dethroned at the end. This is an allegory to the Spanish and French throne that destroyed Spain and depicts how power would do anything to stay in power. Because of the hands that are gripping his sons so hard its digging inside his sons body. He shows how not how it devours his son but that Saturn looks like a rotting flesh and his bones can be seen.
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Saturn Devouring His Sons supports the theme of horror is by representing how Goya felt during while the Spanish and French throne were in power. It shows how horrible it can be to kill their own people only to get the power they want. He shows that the Spanish have endured a lot by the horrors they have lived in during the French and Spanish dictatorships.
The third of May 1808
The Painting of the Third of May 1808 is known for the dimensions that it has because it is extremely large. The dimensions are 11 feet, 4 inches by 8 feet 9 inches on a canvas. This gives a projection of how important it is to the painter. It gives a sense of contrast from light to dark. There are neutral colors of browns and golds. There is a space of light toward the crowd of people that are surrounded by darkness which are the people with guns. The texture of the paintings has broad and chaotic brushstrokes and shadowing in his paintings. There is a depth perception of buildings in the back and people in the front.
The meaning of the paintings The Third of May 1808 is a man in white and gold about to be shot with other men. He is the center of attention in the painting with his hands up in the air that is being held at gunpoint. This gives a sense of sadness because they are about to be killed. But on the right there are soldiers that are hidden in their coats. This shows how Napoleon's army is brutally killing innocent Spanish men. Goya is giving his regards that he is supporting the Spanish with his style of Romanticism.
How the painting supports the horror gallery is it shows how war can be brutal or horrific to everyone that was slaughtered by Napoleon's army. Also it shows the pain that was caused by the French. The horror can be seen by being traumatized in being a war no one wanted.
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Atropos(the fates)
The paintings Atropos is a set of paintings that are part of the “Black Paintings”. The dimensions consists of 4 feet by 8 feet 8 inches. The painting consists of a dark neutral colors and dark pigments with some color black. There are also some
The meaning of Atropos means one who cuts the thread of life. Atropos is a god of the inevitable which means the inevitable death. The meaning of the painting is a figure at the right of the painting is holding a scissor that represents the one who cuts the thread of life or determines the time of death of a person. Then in left there is a person connecting a thread from one hand to another. Then there is another divinity that is holding a magnifying glass or a mirror. They are considered the three divinities that control the destiny of the people. They are a realization that Fransico Goya was coming to his end and hes was going to die.
The painting Atropos supports the horror gallery by connecting faith with death. People see death as something scary that come to take them away from life. The meaning of Atropos means the inevitable which implies death can never be escaped. This is also because Goya didn’t want to die in his lonely house in Madrid.
The drowning dog
The painting The Drowning Dog is a set of paintings that are included in the “Black Paintings”. This is because Goya used dark pigments and black within the painting. Also, in the painting there is only a dogs face in 131.5 cm by 79.3 cm.
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The description in the painting The Drowning Dog has a dogs head out looking out into the horizon. It might be looking towards something a meaning or someone. It has meaning that the dog is Goya and is thinking how death in not stoppable and death is coming. It shows the isolation in his house in Madrid where he composed the painting.
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The painting the Drowning Dog supports the gallery of horror is by the feeling of fear Goya felt while painting this dog. The dog looks out in fear of death that is coming towards him. The horror in the painting gives a sense of loneliness from the painter that gives his fear and looking out for someone to probably rescue him from death which is inevitable.