Research - Francisco Goya

Francisco Goya Spanish romantic painter. He is considered one of the most important artists of the late 18th and early 19th centuries. His works show historical issues during that time and also has a big influence on the 19th and 20th - century painters. What is interesting Goya is very often described as the last of the Old Masters and the first of the modern. It shows how talented he was. 

Portana (1826) Portrait of Goya                                         Goya (1790-95) Self - portrait in the Studio

Francisco Goya worked for The Bourbons. He is the most known for his works such as The Nude Maja and The Clothed Maya and also The Sleep of Reason Produces Monsters. 

Goya (1797) The Sleep of Reason Produces Monsters

His work completely changes after experiences during the Peninsular war 1808-14 to a much darker, full of suffering and symbolics. Such as Saturn devouring his Son or The third of May.

Goya (1819-23) Saturn devouring his Son

Goya (1808) The Third May 

I want to focus on Goya's Black paintings series because these works especially those created for the duke and duchess of Hasina from 1897. He painted six paintings showing witches. 

The spell, The stone guest, The witches kitchen, The devil’s lamp, Witches sabbath and Witches flight

Goya (1797-98) Witches sabbath

Goya (1797-98) Witches' Flight

Almost naked witches wearing coned hats levitate in the night sky grabbing a naked man that is fighting against them. They appear to be biting him. Below them is a man with his head covered in a blanket stumbles forward blindly with his arms out, he holds his thumbs in his fingers in a gesture of Figo — the warding off the evil. On the right side is, a donkey symbol of ignorance, that is looking forward confusing, while on the left another man lies face down covering his ears in fear.

There is two possible way of reading Francisco's Black Paintings - literal and ironic. The literal interpretation is that Goya is aware of the social and also moral breakdown in Spain. He was painting horror of satanism and witchcraft as some kind of 18th-century terror for his patrons, that was exciting for them but terrified for normal people.

The ironic reading of this series of painting is that Francisco was not attacking witchcraft, but rather the opposite - he was attaching religious authorities that constantly supported ruling classes.

It is well known that during the Inquisition authorities of the Spain used rumours and hysteria among the society with witchcraft for holding fear among people as a result faith in God and belief in the Church raised.

References:

Francisco Goya (1790-95) Self - portrait in the Studio oil on canvas 40x27cm https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Self-portrait_at_an_Easel#/media/File:Francisco_de_Goya_-_Autorretrato_ante_el_caballete_-_Google_Art_Project.jpg Real Academia de Bellas Artes de San Fernando [08.05.2021]

Vicenza Lopez Portana (1826) Portrait of Goya oil on canvas https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Francisco_Goya#/media/File:Vicente_L%C3%B3pez_Porta%C3%B1a_-_el_pintor_Francisco_de_Goya.jpg Museo del Prado, Madrit [08.05.2021]

Enriqueta Harris-Frankfort (2019) Francisco Goya (Online) https://www.britannica.com/biography/Francisco-Goya [08.05.2021]

Goya (1797-98) Witches sabbath Oil on canvas https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Witches%27_Sabbath_(Goya,_1798)#/media/File:Francisco_de_Goya_y_Lucientes_-_Witches_Sabbath_-_Google_Art_Project.jpg Museum del Prado, Madrid [11.05.2021]

Abby Norman (2016) The Worst Witch Trials in History took place in Spain, Not Salem (Online) https://allthatsinteresting.com/basque-country-witch-trials [11.05.2021]

Stephen Phelan (2019) Goya's black paintings, some people can hardly even look at them (Online) https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2019/jan/30/goya-black-paintings-prado-madrid-bicentennial-exhibition [11.05.2021]