Francisco José de Goya y Lucientes—better known simply as Goya—was born in Spain in 1746. His most memorable art vividly expresses the tumult that was rumbling through Europe during his lifetime, particularly in the early 19th century. Read on to discover the stories behind five of Goya’s most fascinating masterpieces, all of which are in the collection of Madrid’s Museo del Prado.
Earlier versions of the descriptions of these paintings first appeared in 1001 Paintings You Must See Before You Die, edited by Stephen Farthing (2018). Writers’ names appear in parentheses.
Saturn (1821–23)
In 1819, Goya bought a house west of Madrid called the Quinta del sordo (“Villa of the deaf man”). A previous owner of the house was deaf, and the name remained apt as Goya himself had lost his hearing in his mid-40s. The artist painted directly on to the plaster walls of the Quinta the series of psychologically brooding images popularly known as the “black” paintings (1819–23). They were not intended to be shown to the public, and only later were the pictures lifted from the walls, transferred to canvas, and deposited in the Prado. The haunting Saturn illustrates the myth of the Roman god Saturn, who, fearing that his children would overthrow him, ate them. Taking the myth as a starting point, the painting may be about God’s wrath, the conflict between old age and youth, or Saturn as Time devouring all things. Goya, by then in his 70s and having survived two life-threatening illnesses, is likely to have been anxious about his own mortality. The artist may have been inspired by Peter Paul Rubens’s Baroque portrayal of the myth, Saturn Devouring His Son (1636). Goya’s version, with its restricted palette and looser style, is much darker in all senses. The god’s wide-eyed stare suggests madness and paranoia, and disturbingly he seems unself-conscious in carrying out his horrific act. In 1823 Goya moved to Bordeaux. After a brief return to Spain, he went back to France, where he died in 1828. (Karen Morden and Steven Pulimood)
The Naked Maja (1800)
It is likely that Goya painted the famously controversial La maja desnuda (The Naked Maja), for Manuel de Godoy, nobleman and prime minister of Spain. Godoy owned a number of paintings of the female nude and hung them in a private cabinet dedicated to this theme. The Naked Maja would have seemed daring and pornographic displayed alongside works such as Diego Velázquez’s Venus and Cupid (otherwise known as the Rokeby Venus, c. 1650). The model’s pubic hair is visible—considered obscene at the time—and the lower-class status of the maja, along with her blatant pose, with breasts and arms facing outward, suggests the subject is more sexually accessible than the traditional goddesses of Western art. However, she is more than merely an object of male desire. Here, Goya may be portraying the new marcialidad (“forthrightousness”) of Spanish women of the day and exploring the forbidden subject of female sexuality. The maja’s pose is complicated by her confronting gaze and cool flesh tones, which signify her autonomy. As art critic Robert Hughes wrote, she “is defiantly herself, alluring certainly, but decidedly on her own terms. She is not a sweet little thing, a passive and receptive appeal to male fantasy…. Even without her clothes (or perhaps especially so), she is the real maja, tough, sharp, and not to be pushed around.” Goya paid for his taboo-breaking act in 1815, when the Inquisition interrogated him about this painting and he was subsequently stripped of his role as court painter. (Karen Morden and Steven Pulimood)
Family of Carlos IV (1800)
In 1799 Goya was made First Court Painter to Carlos (Charles) IV of Spain. The king requested a family portrait, and in the summer of 1800 the artist prepared a series of oil sketches for the formal arrangement of the various sitters. The final result has been described as Goya’s greatest portrait. In this painting, the family members wear sparkling, sumptuous garments, and sashes of various royal orders. Yet despite the pomp and splendor, the artist has employed a naturalistic style, capturing the individual characters so that each, as one critic put it, “is strong enough to disrupt the unity expected of a group portrait.” Nevertheless, the most dominant figure is Queen María Louisa in the center. She, rather than the king, took charge of political matters, and her illicit relationship with royal favorite (and patron of Goya) Godoy was well known. Yet a tender side is evident in her tactile engagement with her son and daughter. Though some critics have interpreted the sometimes unflattering naturalism as a satire, Goya is unlikely to have endangered his position in this way. The royals approved of the painting and saw it as a confirmation of the strength of the monarchy in politically tumultuous times. Goya also pays homage to his predecessor Velázquez here with the insertion of a self-portrait similar to Las Meninas (1656). However, while Velázquez painted himself as artist in a dominant position, Goya is more conservative, emerging from the shadows of two canvases on the far left. (Karen Morden and Steven Pulimood)
The Clothed Maja (c. 1805)
Several years after painting The Naked Maja for his patron Godoy, Goya painted a clothed version of his subject. He appears to have used the same model, in the same reclining pose, in the same surroundings. There is much debate as to the identity of the model, and it is possible that Goya used several different sitters for the paintings. Majos and majas were what might be described as bohemians or aesthetes. Part of the Madrid art scene of the early 19th century, they were not wealthy but placed great importance on style and took pride in their flamboyant clothes and considered use of language. The maja in this picture is painted in the artist’s later, looser style. When compared with The Naked Maja, The Clothed Maja may seem less pornographic or more “real,” as her dress gives the subject more of an identity. The Clothed Maja is also more colorful and warmer in tone than The Naked Maja. The clothed maja wears rouge, and her face is much softer, further emphasizing the stark power of her naked counterpart. This unusual work may have acted as a smart “cover” for the nude picture which had caused such outrage in Spanish society, or perhaps it was intended to enhance the erotic nature of The Naked Maja by encouraging the viewer to imagine the figure undressing. Goya’s thought-provoking painting influenced many artists, notably Manet and Picasso, and his work continues to fascinate today. (Karen Morden)
The Third of May 1808 (1814)
On March 17, 1808, the Mutiny of Aranjuez ended the reign of Carlos IV and María Luisa, Goya’s royal patrons. Carlos’s son Ferdinand was made king. Taking advantage of the factionism of the Spanish royal family and government, Napoleon moved in and eventually gained power. The Third of May 1808 portrays the execution of the Spanish insurgents by French troops near Príncipe Pío Hill. Napoleon’s brother, Joseph Bonaparte, took the crown, and the French occupation of Spain lasted until 1813.
It is unclear what Goya’s political leanings were, but he spent most of the occupation recording the atrocities of war. His print series The Disasters of War included perhaps the most poignant and unadulterated images of war that Europe had ever seen. The prints were etched from red chalk drawings, and the artist’s innovative use of captioning recorded a blunt commentary of the brutality of war.
The Third of May 1808 is Goya’s most unapologetic piece of propaganda. Painted once Ferdinand had been restored to the throne, it champions the patriotism of the Spaniards. The central figure is a martyr: he assumes a Christlike pose, revealing stigmata on his palms. The Spaniards are shown as human, colorful, and individual; the French inhuman, faceless, and uniform. The image remains one of the most iconic visions of militaristic violence in art, together with Édouard Manet’s The Execution of Maximilian (1867–68) and Pablo Picasso’s Guernica (1937). (Karen Morden and Steven Pulimood)