Move to Madrid
1774-1783
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1774 Death of Louis XV of France. The Sorrows of Young Werther by
Goethe.
1774 Anton Raphael Mengs calls Goya to Madrid.
1775 Goya works on his first series of tapestry designs for the
royal palace in the Escorial.
1776Worksonthe second series of tapestry designs, this time for the
El Pardo Palace.
1776 American Declaration of Independence.
1778 France and Spain in a maritime war against England. Death of
Voltaire. Opening of La Scala in Milan.
1778 Makes engravings of paintings by Velazquez. Further tapestry
designs for the El Pardo Palace.
1780 Is accepted into the San Fernando Academy in Madrid.
1780 First calculating machine.
1781 Critique of Pure Reason by Emmanuel Kant.
1781 Dispute with his brother-in-law Francisco Bayeu while working
together on the frescoes in Saragossa cathedral.
Death of his
father.
1781-1783 Works on altar paintings for the church of San Francisco
el Grande in Madrid.
1783 Flight of the first Montgolfier brothers' balloons.
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Francisco de Goya
Fight with a Young Bull
c. 1780
Oil on canvas, 259 x 136 cm
Museo del Prado, Madrid
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Goya's work unexpectedly took a new turn when, in 1774, Mengs
called him to Madrid to work for the Royal Tapestry Manufactory.
Instead of painting religious frescoes, his task now was to create
designs for tapestries; they were to be everyday scenes. After a few
rather conventional compositions, Goya was soon producing lively and
attractive, sunny images of Spanish life. He was now, for the first
time, working for the royal court, even though only in a subordinate
position. The young crown prince and his wife, later King Charles IV
of Bourbon and Maria Luisa of Parma, were particularly taken with
his work.
It was in the royal palaces that Goya first saw the paintings of the
great Spanish artist Diego Velazquez (1599-1660), who was to have a
significant influence on the development of Goya's own rather free
technique.
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The Royal Tapestries
Francisco Bayeu had undoubtedly used his influence to find a post at
the Santa Barbara tapestry manufactory for his brother-in-law, the
28-year-old Goya. After his official invitation from Mengs towards
the end of 1774, Goya had resettled in Madrid and, for the next few
years, lived at the Bayeu home with his young wife Josefa. He
remained in close contact with his childhood friend Zapater in
Saragossa, sending him chocolate, wine, and once even a hunting dog.
A contemporary observer thus described Madrid at that time as
follows: "In the streets black-veiled women, monks, water carriers
and fruit sellers hurry about their business. Long-eared,
smooth-shaven mules pull every type of vehicle, be it a splendid
equipage, a six-in-hand stagecoach, or a cart full of oranges from
Valencia."
The Royal Tapestry Manufactory had been founded in 1720 and placed
under the management of a specialist from Antwerp. At first,
engravings of Dutch genre paintings were used as the designs for the
tapestries. Under Mengs' management, young Spanish painters were
used to establish original designs. These so-called cartoons - in
fact paintings on canvas - were copied on the manufactory looms to
create tapestries made from fine thread dyed in every nuance of
color. They were destined to become the sumptuous wall decoration in
the royal family's palaces, where they also served as insulation
against the cold in winter. Goya designed an initial series of
cartoons under the immediate supervision of his brother-in-law, as
he had no experience in this new trade. The second series, however,
was entirely of his own conception. The crown prince and his wife
wanted typical Spanish folk themes for their rooms in the El Pardo
Palace, a task completely in tune with Goya's own inclinations. He
designed a bright, happy medley of folk scenes: dancing and ball
games, traveling peddlers and men on stilts, wood cutters and
washerwomen, children's games and bullfights. His artistic
confidence increased rapidly while he was working on the tapestry
cartoons, which are well-balanced compositions painted in fresh,
luminous colors. However, these pictures have little to do with a
realistic representation of the life of the people: they give the
impression that life is nothing but pleasure and play. Even work is
done with the light-heartedness and grace of a pastime. The austere
Mengs observed: "Don Francisco Goya ... is an artist of spirit and
talent who will make great progress in the arts if he receives the
generous support of the royal family." In a period of five years
Goya supplied a total of 39 designs.
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Francisco de Goya
Hunters with Dogs
1775
Oil on canvas 262x71 cm Madrid, Prado
The unusually narrow shape of this tapestry cartoon corresponds to
the area to be covered by the tapestry, in the crown prince's dining
room in the San Lorenzo castle in the Escorial. The design is from
Goya's first series of tapestry cartoons. The nine pictures in the
series show hunting scenes in wooded landscapes; they were completed
under the supervision of his brother-in-law Bayeu and in
collaboration with the latter's brother, Ramon. It is not
surprising, therefore, that the rather dry technique is reminiscent
of Bayeu's works. Also, the range of themes is traditional. It is
obvious that Goya was trying to restrict himself to a few colors and
clearly outlined areas so that the conversion of the design into a
tapestry would be easier.
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Francisco de Goya
Dance of the Majos at the Banks of Manzanares
1777
Oil on canvas, 272 x 295 cm
Museo del Prado, Madrid
Goya himself described the scene: "Two majos and two majas are
dancing the seguidilla, two others are playing the music and one of
these is singing to the guitar... in the distance you can see
Madrid, with the church of San Fernando." Majos were stylish young
men from the lower strata of society, proud, fashion-conscious
toughs who wore colorful traditional dress. Majas were their female
counterparts.
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The Parasol
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For the aristocracy, the life of the people was an attractive and
accessible way of "playing" at life. It amused them, they enjoyed
watching the life of the people, portraying it, joining in for a few
moments, specifically because it was something different.
Jose Ortega y Gasse
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Women play an important part in Goya's tapestry designs. Full of
confidence, they dance and flirt with the men, sell oranges or
flowers, wash linen, or just take their ease languorously. The
observer is drawn into the game of coquetry that has its own
elaborate vocabulary of looks and gestures. The young woman in the
famous painting The Parasol (opposite) is sitting in a sedate pose,
her smile charming and flirtatious. The tapestry was intended for a
wall above a door, which is why Goya placed the young beauty on a
grassy hummock from which, fully aware of her beauty, she looks down
on the observer, delighted at the opportunity to display her charms.
Her companion is using the parasol to protect her delicate skin from
the sun. In her hand she is holding a closed fan - an indispensable
accessory for Spanish women in Goya's time - as if it were a royal
scepter. The often brightly and sumptuously decorated fan was not
used solely to create a cool current of air: it was also used as a
means of communication, as every movement, every opening and closing
of the fan, had its significance. This language, known to every
level of society, meant that women could give a secret sign of
encouragement to the man of her choice, or indicate her lack of
interest. A lapdog was a fashion accessory for elegant women. As a
recognized symbol of fidelity, the dog was also a traditional
element in portraits of women. Here, however, the normally alert
protector of feminine virtue is curled up asleep on the young
woman's lap while she looks out almost invitingly. Goya repeatedly
used the theme of the relationship between men and women, happy or
despairing, in every possible combination. In the late painting The
Letter (below left), a beautiful woman steps out of the shade of the
parasol into the full daylight while she looks slightly mockingly at
the letter she is holding in her hand. In this picture too the
little dog, here begging for attention, is a comment on the
painting's theme.
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Francisco de Goya
The Parasol
1776-78
Oil on canvas, 104 x 152 cm
Museo del Prado, Madrid
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Light and color
The happy, intimate atmosphere of The Parasol is created not least
by the skillful color composition. The silky yellow of her dress.
the light blue of her bodice, the bright red of her headdress and
the man's waistcoat, and the rich green of the parasol form a
harmonious combination of luminous tones that give a clear emphasis
to the two figures. The background is a vague setting of subdued
tones of blue and green that contrasts with the rich harmonies of
color in the foreground. Goya applied the color generously and
energetically. However, it is the effect of the light that is most
remarkable, since it gives this scene an almost impressionistic
quality. The areas of light and shade contrast sharply. The young
man is almost completely bathed in shadow, with light from the left
falling onto his face and shoulder. In contrast, the woman's elegant
dress glows in full sunlight, while her face remains in the shade of
the parasol. Her softly modeled features are lit gently from below
by the reflected light from her clothes. The virtuosity of the
interaction of light, shade, and color recalls Tiepolo's frescoes.
It is only at second glance that we notice the strangely ominous
wall to the left, behind which dark clouds are massing. However, the
diagonal it creates soon leads our gaze directly to the face of the
young woman, whose eyes are gazing at us intently.
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Anton Raphael Mengs
Christ on the Cross
1761-69
Madrid, Prado

Diego Velazquez
Christ on the Cross
1613
Madrid, Prado
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Tradition and Independence
Competition with artistic precursors was always of immense
significance to Goya. He himself once said, later, that he had no
teachers other than the most famous paintings in Italy and Spain,
from which he had learnt almost everything. At the beginning of his
career he had no desire to make a stand against convention and
tradition. On the contrary, he often based his work closely on
earlier and contemporary models in order to improve his own skills.
Later he continued to use such models but now gave them a fresh
interpretation, introducing completely new relationships between
quoted imagery and his own realistic observations. On July 29, 1778,
an advertisement in the newspaper Gaceta de Madrid advertised nine
etchings after paintings by Velazquez, "engraved by Don Francisco
Goya." This series documents Goya's first intensive encounter with
Velazquez' work. Encouraged by Mengs, who recommended young painters
to study Velazquez, Goya had begun to study paintings by the latter
in the royal collections, and to make engravings of them. Before the
invention of photography, prints were the only means of reproducing
paintings. During this process, a painting's nuances of color had to
be converted into lines, hatching, and contours. Goya initially made
precise drawings of the paintings, which he then etched on copper
plates in order to make prints of them.
Velazquez understood as no other painter did how to reproduce light
and air with paintbrush and color. His light touch and open
technique appealed to Goya, who was already tending to use freer
brushstrokes.
However, several decades were to pass before Goya developed a
completely independent style. His development was in fact unusually
slow and full of contradictions and surprising disruptions. Whenever
his career demanded it, he did not hesitate to conform to the
prevailing conventions. His submission for entry to the Madrid
Academy of Art, the painting of Christ on the Cross,
illustrates this clearly.
In 1780 this smooth, academic image earned him a place in the
Academy, a very important institution, and so made it possible for
him to reach influential aristocratic patrons.
In the same year, having just proved himself to be a good
academician with this Crucifixion, Goya quarreled with his
brother-in-law, Bayeu, while they were working together on a fresco
commission. The older Bayeu probably found Goya's technique too
light; the commissioners of works also rejected Goya's designs, and
he had to make alterations.
At this period, Goya had already moved with his family to his own
house in the Calle del Desengano, in northeast Madrid; it was here
that he kept his studio for over 20 years.
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Francisco de Goya
Christ on the Cross
1780
Oil on wood 255x153 cm Madrid, Prado
With this painting, Goya kept closely to the traditional image of
Velazquez and
Mengs. From Velazquez he adopted the plain dark background; from
Mengs he took the posture and attitude of Christ. Goya made every
effort to achieve the highly finished execution that was the
academic ideal. Never again was he to paint a religious painting
with such a smooth, perfect, and impersonal effect.
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Paintings by Francisco de Goya
1774 - 1783
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Francisco de Goya
The Crockery Vendor
1779
Oil on canvas, 259 x 220 cm
Museo del Prado, Madrid
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Francisco de Goya
The Holy Family
c. 1780
Oil on canvas, 200 x 148 cm
Museo del Prado, Madrid
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Francisco de Goya
Portrait of Marķa Teresa de Vallabriga on Horseback
1783
Oil on canvas, 82,5 x 61,7 cm
Galleria degli Uffizi, Florence
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Francisco de Goya
The Family of the Infante Don Luis
1783
Oil on canvas, 248 x 330 cm
Mamiano di Traversetolo, Fondazione Magnani-Rocca, Parma
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