Francisco Goya

Spanish court painter whose The Third of May 1808 and "Black Paintings" have stunned later generations.

Life

Court painter

Goya came from an artisan family in Zaragoza and got his start in Madrid painting cartoons for the royal tapestry factory. In 1799 he became First Court Painter, and his group portrait of King Charles IV and his family made no attempt to hide the royals' mediocrity.

Deafness

In 1792 a serious illness left him completely deaf. After Napoleon invaded Spain, he created the print series The Disasters of War, recording the brutality of the conflict; in 1814 he completed The Second of May 1808 and The Third of May 1808, depicting the Madrid uprising and the French firing squads.

Disasters of War

In his last years he painted 14 somber "Black Paintings" on the walls of his house, including Saturn Devouring His Son. In 1824 he went into exile in Bordeaux, France, and he died in 1828.

Legacy

Goya is regarded as the last of the Old Masters and the first modern painter; The Third of May 1808 pioneered war paintings centered on ordinary victims.

Major works & achievements

• The Third of May 1808
• The Disasters of War
• Saturn Devouring His Son

Did you know? Picasso's Guernica and Manet's The Execution of Maximilian were both directly influenced by The Third of May 1808.

Key dates

• 1786Became court painter
• 1792Deafness
• 1799Becomes First Court Painter; publishes Los Caprichos
• 1814Completes The Third of May 1808
• 1819Painted the "Black Paintings" (approx.)
• 1828Died in Bordeaux