Francisco de Goya
Master of haunting images
Francisco de Goya (1746-1828) was a Spanish romantic painter and
printmaker. He is considered the most important Spanish artist of the
late 18th and early 19th centuries. His paintings, drawings, and
engravings reflected contemporary historical upheavals and influenced
important 19th- and 20th-century painters. Goya is often referred to as
the last of the Old Masters and the first of the moderns.
He was guarded, and although letters and writings survive, little is
known about his thoughts. He had a severe and undiagnosed illness in
1793 which left him deaf, after which his work became progressively
darker and pessimistic. His later easel and mural paintings, prints and
drawings appear to reflect a bleak outlook on personal, social and
political levels, and contrast with his social climbing. He was
appointed Director of the Royal Academy in 1795, the year Manuel Godoy
made an unfavorable treaty with France. In 1799, Goya became Primer
Pintor de Cámara (Prime Court Painter), the highest rank for a Spanish
court painter.
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