The Height of Fame
1799-1807
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1799-1802 Second
Austrian War between England and several other European states
against France.
1799 Goya appointed First Court Painter. He paints portraits of the
queen and of the king, as well as equestrian portraits of them both.
1800 Portrait of the Countess of Chinchon, after which Goya worked on
sketches for his portrait of The Family of Charles IV, which he
executed on a large canvas from July on wards. Goya buys a house in
Madrid.
1800 Child labor is prohibited in many English factories.
1801 In July, the royal family portrait is completed. Manuel Godoy
becomes commander in chief of the Spanish armies: Portrait of Manuel Godoy.
1802 Goya mainly paints portraits of the aristocracy and middle
classes.
1803 Acquires a second house in Madrid.
1804 Napoleon I has himself crowned Emperor of France; the Code
Civil, the basis for democratic legislation, is introduced.
Death of
Emmanuel Kant.
1805 Marriage of Goya's son Javier.
1806 Birth of Goya's grandson Mariano.
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Francisco de Goya
Dona Isabel de Porcel
before 1805
Oil on canvas, 82 x 55 cm
National Gallery, London
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Goya's appointment as First Court Painter in 1799 was the apogee
of a long and slow rise that had begun 25 years previously with his
post as tapestry designer. Clearly, his Caprichos, despite their
social criticism, had not damaged his reputation at court, for in
1800 he received a prestigious commission to paint a life-size
portrait of the royal family. As no artist before him, he was brave
enough to portray the members of the ruling dynasty in all their
banality and ugliness -so realistically that even today we have to
see his portrayal of the royal family as an act of sheer audacity.
What is all the more amazing is that royal patrons gave it their
enthusiastic approval. Goya's ability to portray the unique features
of an individual through the medium of paint was now reaching its
peak, and for several years he dedicated himself almost exclusively
to portrait painting. He also used the wedding of his son Javier as
a reason for painting the members of his own family, and for the
first time.
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Goya as First Court Painter
Goya had climbed up the official ladder step by step during his
career: 1780, member of the Academy; 1786, painter to the king;
1789, Court Painter; and now, in 1799, he was at last Primer Pintor
de Camara, First Court Painter. As First Court Painter he had an
annual income of 50,000 reales, and a supplement to maintain a
coach. For every portrait and every sketch he painted for the king,
he was paid extra. Goya, who was always very good at managing his
finances, invested his money in property and shares. Nevertheless,
he did not allow his artistic freedom and his uncompromisingly sharp
gift of observation to be bought off.
His overall relationship with the monarchs was not free of
contradictions. He observed the intrigues and affairs at court
without illusion and did not hesitate to criticize these
relationships in his Caprichos. Many aspects, such as the liaison of
Queen Maria Luisa with Manuel Godoy, were open secrets. In the
intrigue-ridden gossip of the court, Goya behaved with tact and
loyalty. He gladly responded to marks of favor and prestigious
commissions. No one would have expected idealized state portraits
from him - clearly no one did. His portraits depict the powerful
realistically and unflatteringly. Yet his patrons found the
naturalism of their official portraits to be anything but impudent;
in fact they were usually delighted by the vivid likeness he had
been able to capture.
On the tenth anniversary of the reign of Maria Luisa and Charles IV,
Goya painted individual portraits of the monarchs which were so
popular he was immediately commissioned to paint a large picture of
the whole royal family. Even the powerful Godoy not only had himself
and his wife painted by Goya, but also ordered paintings from him
for his palace and ultimately gave him a controversial commission:
to paint the Nude Maja, the first nude female in Spain since
Velazquez'
Rukeby Venus.
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Francisco de Goya
The Countess of Chinchon
1800
Oil on canvas, 216 x 144 cm
Museo del Prado, Madrid
The portrait of the 21-year-old countess in her simple white dress
is one of the most famous and sensitive portraits by Goya.
The ears
of corn in the countess'hair are an indication that
she is pregnant.
She had been married against her will to the powerful
statesman Manuel Godoy, who had also remained the queen's favorite.
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Francisco de Goya
Manuel Godoy, Duke of Alcudia, 'Prince of the Peace'
1801
Oil on canvas, 180 x 267 cm
Museo de la Real Academia de San Fernando, Madrid
Self-righteous, blase, and slightly bloated is the impression we
have of the most powerful man in Spain, in his field marshal's
uniform.
First the queen's equerry, later her lover, Godoy was hated
by the people and known for his numerous affairs;
even today he is
one of the most disputed figures of his times.
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Portrait of the Royal Family
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The baker on the corner and his wife, after they won the lottery!
Theophile Gautier on Goya's The Family of Charles IV
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Francisco de Goya
Charles IV and his Family
c. 1800
Oil on canvas, 280 x 336 cm
Museo del Prado, Madrid
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Did Goya want to caricature the king and his family? To criticize
them? To this day there are questions about the over three-meter
(11-feet)-wide painting of The Family of Charles IV. In May
1800,Goya traveled out to the royal summer palace at Aranjuez to
begin work on this major commission by painting several portrait
studies. The queen would have preferred to have done without the
boring sittings, but when she saw the oil sketches, she was
thrilled. Goya first painted each member of the family individually,
on canvas prepared in red. He only sketched the clothing,
concentrating completely on the expressions and facial features. The
studies of the six-year-old Infante Francisco de Paula are a
wonderful example of animation in a portrait study.
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Francisco de Goya
Portrait Study of the Infante Francisco de Paula
1800
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Velazquez
Las Meninas
1656
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The older members
of the family appear more distant, though they are by no means portrayed
as excessively ugly. Goya represents them unassumingly-as people, not
better looking, more reflective, or more important than anyone else.
They do not have the dignified, regal authority that usually
emanates from portraits of a royal house. Goya's attention to the
sparkling medals, the splendor of the jewelry and the clothes clearly
underlines this point. The composition of the family portrait was
planned very precisely. The task was difficult enough: thirteen
standing individuals, but grouped in such a manner that the
composition produced a well-balanced but not dull arrangement. At
the same time, it was necessary to depict the individual royal
personages according to their rank. In the center, clearly lit,
stands the 48-year-old queen in her sumptuous and fashionable
Empire-style dress, holding her youngest children with maternal
solicitude. Slightly in front of the queen stands the
king. Counterbalancing him, the heir to the throne. Prince Ferdinand,
stands to the left, in a blue coat. As his future bride had yet to
be chosen, the young woman at his side, dressed exactly like the
queen, is turning her face away, as if by chance. On the right-hand
side of the painting, almost hidden behind the king, we see his
brother, Don Antonio Pascual, and the Infanta
Dona Carlotta Joaquina, and in front of them, the Prince of Parma and
his young wife, her baby son in her arms. In the semi-darkness to
the left, we see the artist himself with his large canvas. His head
is at the same level as those of the royal family - he is not
representing himself as a subject and courtier here, but as an
independent, sober observer and organizer of the event. At the same
time, this is a reference to the foreground of
Velazquez' Las
Meninas, where the painter places himself to the far left (opposite). This
most famous of Spanish group paintings shows the little Infanta
Marguerita surrounded by her maids of honor in a room in the Alcazar
fortress filled with paintings. As in Velazquez' painting, Goya's
court group also seems to be looking at themselves in a mirror while
the artist paints them.
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Francisco de Goya
Portrait of Queen Maria Luisa
1799
Oil on canvas 210x130 cm Madrid, Palacio Real
The queen, who was known for her vanity, is shown as a woman
elegantly dressed, wearing a black lace mantilla, high comb, and
fan. A dress like this, which cost thousands of reales, was the last
word in fashion and would have been worn by the women of the higher
aristocracy as well as (in simpler versions) by the prostitutes on
the streets of Madrid. The similarity with the Portrait of the
Duchess of Alba is plain-a comparison that was to the queen's
disadvantage
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Francisco de Goya
Portrait of Queen Maria Luisa
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Francisco de Goya
Portrait of Queen Maria Luisa
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Francisco de Goya
Portrait of Queen Maria Luisa
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Francisco de Goya
La Infanta Maria Isabel
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 Francisco de Goya
El infante Don Carlos Marķa Isidro
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Francisco de Goya
La infanta Dona Marķa Josefa |
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