Francisco Goya: Life and Artistic Evolution
Introduction
Born in Fuentedetodos, Francisco Goya’s artistic journey began in the workshop of the painter José Luzán. He married the sister of the painter Francisco Bayeu and became his young disciple. He traveled to Italy and soon moved to Madrid as a painter for the Royal Tapestry Factory. He became a royal painter and a member of the Academy of San Fernando. After the War of Independence, his work reflected the turmoil of the time, oscillating between anti-French patriotism and his pro-French liberal ideals. In the last stage of his life, his work took on a different, more bitter tone. He voluntarily exiled himself to Bordeaux and died there in 1828.
Goya cultivated all genres of painting. He also created miniatures on ivory and charcoal drawings, where he freely expressed his ideas. Belonging to the rationalist and enlightened 18th century, the first part of his work shows a strong influence of Velázquez. However, Goya was also a Romantic of the 19th century, embodying the old fire of Spanish mysticism. His work presents constant contrasts between Enlightenment rationalism and the romantic storm of liberal-romanticism.
Artistic Evolution
First Period: 1762-1775
Goya moved to Madrid, where he encountered the academic styles of San Fernando, Mengs, and Bayeu – classical, academic, and dense. After his trip to Italy, his work took on a popular trend towards realism and caricature.
Second Period: 1775-1792
He began working in the Royal Tapestry Factory under the command of Mengs. While he could not fully develop his own personality due to the imposed custom themes, he refined his technique. He reflected the freshness and pleasantness of the popular, learning from Velázquez the play of lights and atmospheric effects. In 1781, he broke with Bayeu and began painting court portraits.
Third Period: 1792-1808
The onset of progressive deafness profoundly impacted his inner life, turning him into a fantastic visionary. He was excited by the ideas circulating in Europe, which led him to a progressive and socially critical attitude. From this period are the Caprichos, engravings reflecting social ills, and works like The Fire or Shipwreck, where caprice and invention have no limits. He also painted courtly figures and great personalities of the era. In The Family of Charles IV, he realistically and ironically portrays the dubious morality and human vulgarity of the subjects. He continued to represent the people without adhering to dogma, even under the pretext of religious painting. In 1801, he painted The Two Majas, showcasing refined technique and elegant forms, revealing Goya’s sensual and amorous side.
Fourth Period: 1808-1828
This period definitively marked Goya’s work. Following Fernando VII’s abdication in favor of Joseph Bonaparte, Goya was initially encouraged by the innovative French air but turned against the occupation and the disasters of the war. In The Third of May 1808, technical simplicity predominates. The light, a positive element for Goya, illuminates reason and thought, falling on those about to be shot, while the executioners remain in the shadows.
Around 1819, he retired to the Quinta del Sordo, a house beside the Manzanares River, which he decorated with his own paintings. These “Black Paintings” anticipate Expressionism and Surrealism, creating a strong psychological tension through their dense atmosphere, expressing his inner struggle. After advocating for the Constitution of 1812 and facing absolutist repression by Fernando VII in 1824 (following the Liberal Triennium), he fled to France, to Bordeaux, where he continued to work, dying four years later.