Francisco Jose de Goya
Chelsea Bryant
Period 3
The Mind of a Madman
Francisco Jose de Goya (1746-1828) Yard with Lunatics, 1794 Oil on canvas
Goya started discovering art at a young age. He was born to José Benito de Goya y Franque, a gilder, and Gracia de Lucientes y Salvador. Francisco spent his childhood in Fuendetodos, Spain then later moved to Zaragoza. He often moved, mastering art along the way. In 1773 Goya married Josefa Bayeu. Over a period of five years he had painted about 42 designs. His popularity began to lead him into an entire world of art. During the middle of his career, Goya often painted for royalty. He had reached his peak of popularity with the noble ones. However between late 1792 and early1793, a serious illness, whose exact nature is not known, left Goya deaf, and he became withdrawn. During his recuperation, he undertook a series of experimental paintings. He turned to more manageable and more personal projects, perhaps inspired by works from abroad that he had seen while in Cadiz. His small pictures of 1793-4 introduce a new era in his art, and it was now that his style began to emerge. Many of his scenes depict bullfighting, intense, haunting themes, reflective of the artist 's fear of insanity, and his outlook on humanity. Although these themes can be seen in many of his paintings, I believe “Yard with Lunatics” depicts his style the best.
Yard with Lunatics was painted around the time of the French declaration of war on Spain, when Goya’s deafness and fear of mental illness were developing, and he was increasingly complaining of his health. The painting came about in his stage of darkness. This painting is usually compared to “The Madhouse”, a similar painting by Goya. Goya wrote that the works served "to occupy my imagination, tormented as it is by contemplation of my sufferings." The series, he said, consisted of pictures which "normally find no place in commissioned works." It has been described as a somber vision of human bodies without human
Period 3
The Mind of a Madman
Francisco Jose de Goya (1746-1828) Yard with Lunatics, 1794 Oil on canvas
Goya started discovering art at a young age. He was born to José Benito de Goya y Franque, a gilder, and Gracia de Lucientes y Salvador. Francisco spent his childhood in Fuendetodos, Spain then later moved to Zaragoza. He often moved, mastering art along the way. In 1773 Goya married Josefa Bayeu. Over a period of five years he had painted about 42 designs. His popularity began to lead him into an entire world of art. During the middle of his career, Goya often painted for royalty. He had reached his peak of popularity with the noble ones. However between late 1792 and early1793, a serious illness, whose exact nature is not known, left Goya deaf, and he became withdrawn. During his recuperation, he undertook a series of experimental paintings. He turned to more manageable and more personal projects, perhaps inspired by works from abroad that he had seen while in Cadiz. His small pictures of 1793-4 introduce a new era in his art, and it was now that his style began to emerge. Many of his scenes depict bullfighting, intense, haunting themes, reflective of the artist 's fear of insanity, and his outlook on humanity. Although these themes can be seen in many of his paintings, I believe “Yard with Lunatics” depicts his style the best.
Yard with Lunatics was painted around the time of the French declaration of war on Spain, when Goya’s deafness and fear of mental illness were developing, and he was increasingly complaining of his health. The painting came about in his stage of darkness. This painting is usually compared to “The Madhouse”, a similar painting by Goya. Goya wrote that the works served "to occupy my imagination, tormented as it is by contemplation of my sufferings." The series, he said, consisted of pictures which "normally find no place in commissioned works." It has been described as a somber vision of human bodies without human
Cited: Jane Turner. Goya, Francisco de. London. Macmillan Publishers. 1996 Connel, Evan S. Francisco Goya: A Life. New York: Counter point, 2004 Hagen, Rose-Marie & Hagen, Rainer. Francisco Goya, 1746 -1828 Taschen 2003 Hughes Robert. Goya. New York: Alfred A.Knopf, 2004 2011 Meadows Museum Dallas, Texas. http://smu.edu/meadowsmuseum/collections_Goya_Mad.htm Peter K. Klein Journal of the Warburg and Courtauld Institutes Vol. 61, (1998), pp. 198-252 (article consists of 55 pages) published by: The Warburg Institute Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/751250