#we do know he was very much in love with martin zapater

[tsundozer]

goya was a religious man

It was wednesday in mid-april when they found him in his bed There are rumors that you still had a paintbrush in your hand Your mistress got your house but you gave all your wealth to the church She sold it for renovations and was out before the first They tore about your celings They ripped out your floorboards They felt some sense of violation but they felt they had no choice

And as someone stole a portrait of a man from your hall They were surprised to find you had another in a hole within the wall

He was bereft of any clothing, there was a hand upon his thigh He was smiling shyly his head was tilted towards the sky It seemed it was freshly painted Of his long departed friend There were bloodstains on the bare chest And there were teardrops on his thigh He'd attempted to ressurect lazarus like jesus And like Jesus he'd cried

It was given to the clergy It was discarded in the end But sitting amongst the cobwebs were paintings hidden behind his friend They were dark and they were faded and they were atrocious to the eye And they captured every kind of violence and profanity and lie

There were misers shrewdly plotting While Saturn ate his son Starving pilgrims marched for San Isidoro Two men stood moments before death A man desperately reaching for god A man desperately reaching for a man There were women praying to devils Their hands were clasped in each-others Amen They all went to the churches They all adorned the halls Reminders of sin and penitence The ones that weren't destroyed The catholics took them all

Then in an accident of restoration there was a splash of turpentine And as the oils streaked there was a splash of the divine Hiding behind streaks of black that parted like a veil Were images of gardens, children, men brushing lips, Apocryphal and frail There were open fields of flowers Women's faces filled with tears There were luscious gardens filled with old men retelling years Children dancing together A silent somber wake Celebrating congregations and the comfort his faith could make

There were depictions of all the things that you can't put to words There were flawed attempts at recreating thoughts that go unheard There were imperfect depictions of the shapes you can't quite define The lines in someone's smile and the curves of his jawline And as the colors ran and the paintings blended every sentiment he could think of Every hurt and ache and tender touch that he could understand You could see it was not a god he worshiped But all the ache and joy of man

[csprofstudy]

Goya Blog 2

Goya Blog

 Monday 12/11

Although I am fascinated by Goya’s work, I have never actually seen an original painting. Have therefore decided to see what I can find in London. So far I can only track Goya down at the National Gallery. https://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/artists/francisco-de-goya

There are just 5 paintings to be seen and earlier than the Black Paintings. However, it will be interesting to see some of his contrasting pieces, such as ‘A Picnic’, as well as his formal portraiture, including ‘The Duke of Wellington’! This should give me an insight into how and when his work changed, as well as help me to clarify the reasons for these changes, tying in with my project.

Unfortunately, the Black Paintings are in the Prado, but I have sent off for the Museum ‘Gallery Guide’ which catalogues each of the paintings. Not quite the same as being there, nevertheless I hope it will give me more of an authentic feel, compared to just looking at them on the internet.

 Tuesday 13/11

Having put together a bibliography, I have decided also to explore some podcast material to help my research on Goya and give me a different perspective. These two links below look worthwhile. The Radio 3 interview could be especially interesting as it explores the work of Goya from the curator’s point of view. Will set time aside to listen on Thursday.

BBC Radio 4 - Great Lives, Series 27, Goya

Diana Athill joins Matthew to explore the life of the Spanish painter Francisco de Goya.

BBC Radio 3 - Sunday Feature, Doing Goya Justice: The Curator's Story

Feature following the work of Xavier Bray as he curates an exhibition of Goya's paintings.

Sunday 30/12

As there is hardly any Goya available to view in this country, I was looking forward to watching a DVD, which reports on the National Gallery Exhibition of 2015. Goya: Visions of Flesh and blood. 

It wasn’t quite what I expected as I had hoped to get more of a feel of the Black Paintings and there was far more focus on his portraits. However, I like the way that Goya was dramatized as it brought him to life and made me feel a bit more connected to him and Gabriele Finaldi’s observation that Goya: ‘Dealt with the human soul’ captures a sense of why we are still very moved by Goya’s work today. Reference was made to both his complicated historical journey and his personal/artistic journey – which relates to my investigation for the contextual study – and to his complicated character..

There was quite a lot of interesting back ground that I was unaware of (including his relationship with Martin Zapater which was an intense and intimate friendship) and I think in my essay I might develop my section on his early work that I plan to use to show his developing style, in line with political and personal events that affected him. 

His path to royal painter was clearly laid out by a number of art historians during the film:

1775 Goya was invited to court as King Charles III wanted to show that he was in touch with the Spanish people. He was asked to create tapestries of every day scenes for royal residences, and at this point he was heavily influenced by the naturalistic style of Velázquez. His first Royal Patron was Don Luis de Bourbon; he entered the inner sanctum of the family.

By 1785 his modern approach to portraiture won him more commissions and I learned that he was praised for being unconventional. Instead of small details of a particular scene, he went for face, character, expression - strong physicality – trying to convey the emotional life of his subjects. Understood personality and body language.

This is maybe an early indication of his daring? In his letters he said: ‘There are no rules in painting’, which is something I will bear in mind when I look at his later work. I hadn’t really thought much about Goya the man until this point, but he was obviously ambitious and passionate.

 In 1788 the death of Charles III brought nervousness. Charles IV - succeeded and appointed Goya in the position of court painter and conserver. This is Goya the Royalist and respectful servant, his loyalty and talent winning him a reward.

In 1793 he became unwell and travelled to Cadiz to recover but he would be deaf – for the rest of life. Was this due to lead poisoning? (Another avenue to explore?). Whatever the cause, it must have had a dramatic effect on Goya as he loved music and conversation, so how far did it affect the way he worked and the content of his work? Dr Bray suggests this marked a turning point – that Goya had become liberated and more independent. He drew more freely. New subjects were chosen.

Rebellion from France spilled into Spain. Inquisition active. Duchess of Alba had huge influence and he had a close relationship. How far did she influence him?

1993 Spain was defeated by France and Goya became Director of the Academy of Fine Art. ‘Los Caprichos’ – examination of ‘Vices’ marked the beginning of a darker phase with Goya becoming a critical observer. Followed by ‘Disasters of War.’ Sarah Symmons claims Goya was not overtly political, but events and the development in his art seem to prove otherwise.

The beginning of the 19th Century brought further disruption. The film helpfully summarised main events, which helped to emphasise and clarify the background against which Goya was working.

Napoleon declared war on Britain and invaded Spain in 1808 to control European relationships with Britain.

Unrest. Charles IV abdicated in favour of son, Ferdinand VII.

 French troops entered Madrid and consequences were brutal.

Spain now under French rule with Napoleon’s brother Joseph declared King.

6 year bloody war. Cruelty Captured by Goya in ‘Disasters of War’. Taste of Black Paintings to follow?

Madrid liberated by British. Ferdinand VII reinstated. Goya continued royal duties.

Had access to French and Spanish – left him vulnerable – but political stance not obvious in portraits at this point.

In later life as commissions decreased, Goya turned to friends/family for portraits.

New reign, suspected French sympathisers questioned by Holy Office, including Goya.

Bought Quinta del Sordo. In 1820 self-portrait with doctor. Near death experience.

Black paintings seem like ‘an exorcism’ (Dr Xavier Bray - who curated the exhibition). Why? Was it a personal statement? Were they an anti-war statement? Were they meant to be seen? No-one seems sure and this is the focal point of my study.

Goya says in his letters: ‘I refuse to do the same thing all the time’.

Complexity and variety are key to trying tounderstand his work. 

January 18th

I listened to BBC Great Lives today where Goya was being discussed by Matthew Parris and Sarah Symmons. Although there was some information - especially about historical events – that I had heard before e.g. Napoleon’s invasion of Spain, there were also some useful discussion/quotes that made me think about Goya the man – his motivation, his suffering and people who have influenced him. I might be able to incorporate some of these things into my essay and it will definitely strengthen my ‘Personal’ chapter on Goya the man – and how the complexity of his psyche, relationships and experiences shaped his later work.

Diana Athill. Said she was struck by Goya’s ‘honesty’ – the way he is ‘Always responding to how things really are’. This is interesting in relation to the BPs and the view they convey of man.

Sarah Symmons reminded listeners of his age when creating his masterpieces. He drew ‘Disasters of War’ in his 60s and the ‘Black Paintings’ in his 70s! She points out that for him, ‘The truth was the most important thing.’ Honesty and truth appear to be the driving qualities for his art.

All agreed he was not too interested in the sacred, or heaven. Doesn’t romanticise evil. Perhaps that help to explain the grotesque quality of the BPs?

Something I didn’t know was that all his children died except one and there were many miscarriages. 6 of 7 live births died. This must have been devastating for him and his wife and he must have been touched by this tragedy.

They touched upon his deafness/illness and the theory this was caused because he was an unorthodox painter who often used his hands. As paint was so toxic, this appears to have had a terrible effect. So this will also have had some bearing on his state of mind when he was painting the walls of the Quinto del Sardo with his black paintings.

Some powerful ‘people’ influences were mentioned – the Duchess of Alba was like a Muse and it is said that he loved Martin Zabater passionately. If I have time I might look at some of his letters to Zabater.

Goya worked for Court and Joseph 1 but was inspired by the atrocities of war and Matthew Parris described him as a ‘War reporter’, which is a useful angle/quote for me.

Finally, Athill’s statement that he drew ‘For us’ is an interesting one as I am really interested in Goya’s intentions and his audience – and in why we relate so strongly to him today. Athill’s quote that he was ‘ultra modern’ highlights his ability to cross the centuries and we can relate today both to the idea of civil unrest, and also to mental health issues and the powerful effect these can have.

[csprofstudy]

Goya Blog 3

Monday 3/12

Had my proposal/statement of Intent discussion with Sam. I always find sessions like this quite difficult, especially when I don’t know someone. However, although we had some crossed wires as I was nervous and not always processing very well, it was a helpful session and Sam was very patient.

She suggested viewing some of the Goya paintings in National gallery and to strengthen this by looking at my Exhibition DVD and perhaps an Exhibition Catalogue. I do actually have an Exhibition Catalogue from the Prado, which I am hoping will give me a special insight into the paintings. We talked about source material, looking at varying contexts and the connections that can be made with the paintings. As there are 14 of these, she suggested a focus on some individual paintings in each section.

I wasn’t sure of the exact length of the essay and Sam clarified that it was 5000 -7000. As this is quite lengthy, Sam explained that writing a detailed plan, divided into chapters, is helpful and will make organising the structure much easier. We went through this:

Introduction

Historical context

Personal context

Longevity and influence.

I would like to include a personal response in the appendix, so need to think about this too.

Thankfully, the draft does not have to be complete by February 4 – the first hand in date. Sam said aim for about 2000 words – trying to complete at least one chapter in full and indicating where the gaps are that will need to be filled later.

There will be lots of opportunity for tweaking as 25/3 is the date for the final rough draft! Sam gave me her email in case I had any questions, which is great to have as back-up.

Sunday 30/12

As there is hardly any Goya available to view in this country, I was looking forward to watching my DVD, which reports on the National Gallery Exhibition of 2015. Goya: Visions of Flesh and blood. It wasn’t quite what I expected as I had hoped to get more of a feel of the Black Paintings and there was far more focus on his portraits. However, I like the way that Goya was dramatized as it brought him to life and made me feel a bit more connected to him and Gabriele Finaldi’s observation that Goya: ‘Dealt with the human soul’ captures a sense of why we are still very moved by Goya’s work today. Reference was made to both his complicated historical journey and his personal/artistic journey – which relates to my investigation for the contextual study – and to his complicated character..

There was quite a lot of interesting back ground that I was unaware of (including his relationship with Martin Zapater which was an intense and intimate friendship) and I think in my essay I might develop my section on his early work that I plan to use to show his developing style, in line with political and personal events that affected him. His path to royal painter was clearly laid out by a number of art historians during the film:

1775 Goya was invited to court as King Charles III wanted to show that he was in touch with the Spanish people. He was asked to create tapestries of every day scenes for royal residences, and at this point he was heavily influenced by the naturalistic style of Velázquez. His first Royal Patron was Don Luis de Bourbon; he entered the inner sanctum of the family.

By 1785 his modern approach to portraiture won him more commissions and I learned that he was praised for being unconventional. Instead of small details of a particular scene, he went for face, character, expression - strong physicality – trying to convey the emotional life of his subjects. Understood personality and body language.

This is maybe an early indication of his daring? In his letters he said: ‘There are no rules in painting’, which is something I will bear in mind when I look at his later work. I hadn’t really thought much about Goya the man until this point, but he was obviously ambitious and passionate.

In 1788 the death of Charles III brought nervousness. Charles IV - succeeded and appointed Goya in the position of court painter and conserver. This is Goya the Royalist and respectful servant, his loyalty and talent winning him a reward.

In 1793 he became unwell and travelled to Cadiz to recover but he would be deaf – for the rest of life. Was this due to lead poisoning? (Another avenue to explore?). Whatever the cause, it must have had a dramatic effect on Goya as he loved music and conversation, so how far did it affect the way he worked and the content of his work? Dr Bray suggests this marked a turning point – that Goya had become liberated and more independent. He drew more freely. New subjects were chosen.

Rebellion from France spilled into Spain. Inquisition active. Duchess of Alba had huge influence and he had a close relationship. How far did she influence him?

1793 Spain was defeated by France and Goya became Director of the Academy of Fine Art. ‘Los Caprichos’ – examination of ‘Vices’ marked the beginning of a darker phase with Goya becoming a critical observer. Followed by ‘Disasters of War.’ Sarah Symmons claims Goya was not overtly political, but events and the development in his art seem to prove otherwise.

Beginning of 19th Century brought further disruption. Film helpfully summarised main events

Napoleon declared war on Britain and invaded Spain in 1808 to control European relationships with Britain.

Madrid liberated by British. Ferdinand VII reinstated. Goya continued royal duties.

Had access to French and Spanish – left him vulnerable – but political stance not obvious in portraits at this point.

In later life as commissions decreased, Goya turned to friends/family for portraits.

New reign, suspected French sympathisers questioned by Holy Office, including Goya.

Bought Quinta del Sordo. In 1820 self-portrait with doctor. Near death experience.

Black paintings seem like ‘an exorcism’ (Dr Xavier Bray - who curated the exhibition). Why? Was it a personal statement? Were they an anti-war statement? Were they meant to be seen? No-one seems sure and this is the focal point of my study.

Goya says in his letters: ‘I refuse to do the same thing all the time’. Complexity and variety – key.

Friday 18/1

I listened to BBC Great Lives today where Goya was being discussed by Matthew Parris and Sarah Symmons. Although there was some information - especially about historical events – that I had heard before e.g. Napoleon’s invasion of Spain, there were also some useful discussion/quotes that made me think about Goya the man – his motivation, his suffering and people who have influenced him. I might be able to incorporate some of these things into my essay and it will definitely strengthen my ‘Personal’ chapter on Goya the man – and how the complexity of his psyche, relationships and experiences shaped his later work.

Diana Athill. Said she was struck by Goya’s ‘honesty’ – the way he is ‘Always responding to how things really are’. This is interesting in relation to the BPs and the view they convey of man.

Sarah Symmons reminded listeners of his age when creating his masterpieces. He drew ‘Disasters of War’ in his 60s and the ‘Black Paintings’ in his 70s! She points out that for him, ‘The truth was the most important thing.’ Honesty and truth appear to be the driving qualities for his art.

All agreed he was not too interested in the sacred, or heaven. Doesn’t romanticise evil. Perhaps that help to explain the grotesque quality of the BPs?

Something I didn’t know was that all his children died except one and there were many miscarriages. 6 of 7 live births died. This must have been devastating for him and his wife and he must have been touched by this tragedy.

They touched upon his deafness/illness and the theory this was caused because he was an unorthodox painter who often used his hands. As paint was so toxic, this appears to have had a terrible effect. So this will also have had some bearing on his state of mind when he was painting the walls of the Quinto del Sardo with his black paintings.

Some powerful ‘people’ influences were mentioned – the Duchess of Alba was like a Muse and it is said that he loved Martin Zabater passionately. If I have time I might look at some of his letters to Zabater.

Goya worked for Court and Joseph 1 but was inspired by the atrocities of war and Matthew Paris described him as a ‘War reporter’, which is a useful angle/quote for me.

Finally, Athill’s statement that he drew ‘For us’ is an interesting one as I am really interested in Goya’s intentions and his audience – and in why we relate so strongly to him today. Athill’s quote that he was ‘ultra modern’ highlights his ability to cross the centuries and we can relate today both to the idea of civil unrest, and also to mental health issues and the powerful effect these can have.

 Saturday 19/1

Sorting out sections for my essay now. I remind myself of my direction: I’m exploring how far the Black Paintings were inspired by war – a kind of political statement or expression made by Goya, even though they were not intended originally to be shown – and how far they were influenced by all the complicated personal experiences he had – like his deafness, illnesses, family connections with madness, dead children….There isn’t really a simple answer to this.

Listened back to my recording of the session with Sam before Christmas to remind myself of advice given. I’m going to look at things in the following order and see how it works out:

Introduction

Study of his early paintings, so I can try to analyse why the nature of his paintings changed as he got older

Political events and how these affected his work

Personal experiences and interests and how these are shown in the BPs

His legacy - how and in what way other artists have been influenced….

Conclusion

 Monday 28/1

Showed Sam my draft. She was pleased with it, but thought I could consider combining the legacy chapter with the conclusion to make an extended conclusion, so I’ll look at this. Also reminded me to keep relating things back to the paintings and to include images in the text, both of Goya’s work and others where relevant (when looking at influences). Need to include plan and working bibliography with draft.

 Saturday 2/2

Drafting going quite well. Including images of pictures I am discussing as Sam says visuals are important. Not always easy to download….Took much more time than I thought it would. Managed to get the first section tied up quite well and a skeleton sorted for the other sections.

 Monday 4/2

Handed essay in! Feel as if the first hard step has been taken and my confidence is definitely stronger and growing….

 Friday 8/2

Listened to my audio feedback. Sam was generally pleased with essay and images. I need:

To check Harvard referencing as might be incorrect for the images.

To look at paragraphing and separating points clearly so the reader doesn’t get lost!

To tidy up the references. Sam questioned the number refs and I need to erase these as they were my word count references!

To make the ‘hidden nature’ of the BPs more explicit right from the start. 

Week beginning 11/2

Have been reading Robert Hughes on Goya.

It is a brilliant book, full of really thought-provoking ideas. It is very long though, so has been a bit time-consuming. I have included some of the interesting quotes that I have selected – maybe I won’t use all of these in my actual essay, but they have got me thinking!

He emphasises Goya’s ‘Modernity’ and this echoes with other critical views e.g. Athill. It’s an area I am interested in – this brilliant ability to move across the centuries to touch us.

‘Goya was an artist wholeheartedly of this world’. (Hughes. p7)

His comments on the early tapestries brought these alive for me. ‘Goya was a mighty celebrant of pleasure. You know he loved everything that was sensuous.’ (Hughes. p8)

Although he is very much aware of the way in which Goya was influenced by political events, he is really careful to point out that his work should not just be seen in these terms, that here were other important factors in play – not just a war protest. Eg in Pilgrimage, he says of the figures:

‘They are the creatures of Goya’s own deafness’ This made me view the picture very differently, as Goya’s screams of protest, rather than the general Spanish people’s. (Hughes.p18). Hughes highlights that Goya lived  ‘under the shadow of a crippling disability’ (p.27)

He make some useful comment on Goya’s relationship with insanity: ‘The greatest of all delineators of madness….’ viewing it as a ‘natural part of man’s (and woman’s) condition’. (Hughes  .  P26).

He notes the land of Goya’s upbringing in Fuendetodos ‘so bare and bleak and sunstruck, with their isolated trees black in the implacable light’ (Hughe. P31) and the effect this has on the colours of Black Paintings in particular. (Hughes. p31)

He urges us to keep a sense of perspective. On ‘Men with Cudgels’.

‘It could be that Goya meant no specific political comment; that he only wanted to make an image of irrational of irrational, self-propagating male aggression’ (Hughes 383).

There is a hard truth which we cannot ignore in any reading of the paintings and interpretation of Goya’s motivation: ‘Here, as in other rooms the Deaf Man’s house, we do not and cannot know’. (383) We can only guess at the effect that his personal and political anxieties had on his later works.

Some interesting links were made between Goya’s work and that of other later artists e.g. Dali. I will look at Dali’s ‘Soft Construction with Boiled Beans’  - or ‘Premonitions of Civil War’ –‘the finest single work of visual art inspired by the Spanish Civil War’. (p.383) when I consider Goya’s legacy and what this says about him, and his concerns, as a painter.