Analyzing Goya’s “The Family of Charles IV”: Style and Meaning
Technical Analysis and Formal Elements
Technical Elements
It is an oil on canvas where we emphasize the ocher and gray color for notes of red and blue tie, which are repeated. As for stroke, it prevails over the line. As for light, it is a natural light that enters the scene from the left slightly high, illuminating the figures with shadows and let the right-hand side, which cover some of the bodies figures. Referring dimensional space, the author makes from light figures as Goya woman deep feeling of being in a room because there are different levels of depth.
Finally, expressiveness, not a box of great expressiveness, but if a psychological portrait, behind each figure, there was his personality, we find from the penetrating gaze of the child until the baby is smiling, the same king gives a feeling of sadness, a little character, while the grandmother there with those crazy eyes, and Ferdinand VII to stay that look arrogant. All this came to mind in this psychological expressiveness peregnar try thinking of each person
Formal Elements
In terms of composition, is neoclassical roots, which are arranged in a frieze of Goya and say we played with a certain ambiguity for both the centrality of the box. The physical center of the table is the queen, Maria Luisa. The king should be the protagonist but is leaning toward the right. But the king is another step forward by the queen, because it is somehow off center. The details of Ferdinand with a woman that he sees no face, no voice because he had no partner Ferdinand, why do not you see. On the issue of depth, Goya is at the bottom, with a resemblance to “Las Meninas” by Velazquez.
Style
- Both current belongs to the artist as their own personal style and the author
Goya’s style evolves. Gradually he evolved, he sees plenty of Velazquez and will cause an impact to evolve, with loose brushwork, in’aprèn it feels very much influenced by Velazquez, Goya while impressionist influence in this aspect. Goya is the painter who inaugurated the modern painting. Impressionist and expressionist painters and inspired his way of painting.
Interpretation
Work Function
Commemorative decoration of the entire royal family, group portrait by Charles IV himself.
Context (historical, cultural, personal…)
Which directly influences the work or in their preparation
Historical Context
This painting is painted in the years just before the Bourbon monarchy is at the door with the conflict with France, a period of enlightened despotism, which began with Charles II and Charles III, was a Spanish context that marks today. The central policy of the country had Godoy, who understood the queen. Ideas illustrated French expansion in Europe.
French Republic is fearful to all European monarchies. Spread the ideas illustrated throughout Europe.
Relationships and Influences
Goya’s influence to the Romantics, such as Delacroix, some impressionistic, with loose brushwork, the Expressionists, the expression for the outside world, the surreal with the engravings “The shot” and Picasso.
Content and Meaning
Content (subject matter)
Portrait group as descriptive of all persons who are family, but the message is not entirely clear, because the more modern look we see in fact a critical sense, vulgar.
Significance (message)
Goya in this work, it was an attempt to ridicule and Frenchified royalty.