Artist Exploration Francisco de Goya

Francisco de Goya was a Spanish artist who practiced many different forms of art including: painting, drawing and engraving. He is best known for creating artwork that commented on the current state of affairs in Spain. His pieces often focused on the violence that would wreak havoc and the political upheavals that would occur within the country. One of his most popular pieces focuses on just that. The etching "Los Desastres de la Guerra", (The Disasters of War, pictured below)which was inspired by the French invasions of Spain portrays the evil and violence that inevitably comes with war. He became a strong inspiration for many artists in the 19th and 20th century, as he believed that the artist's vision and statement far exceeded the importance of adhering to artistic tradition. With his dramatic and sometimes gruesome artwork, he played a vital role in sparking the movement of "19th century realism". Thus, he is often seen referred to as "the first of the moderns".

Goya's artwork has a very distinct style in regards to what they attempt to convey. He clearly had a very strong understanding of the human anatomy, and as seen below, he used it to varying degrees. His pieces are virtually all some sort of portraiture of people. Some are along the lines of more traditional portraits, but much of his other work uses people and their figures to convey something much deeper. He often used very dark or gruesome imagery to create satire to criticize events that occurred in Spain. His style can be starkly evocative and unnerving, such as in his piece, "Saturn Devouring his Sons", also pictured below. His art utilized the human figure in an almost discomforting way in order to successfully garner attention and point out malicious tendencies and upheavals that many other artists couldn't quite convey in the same way.