Francisco Goya was a Spanish painter. He was born in March 1746 in Fuendetodos, Spain. At the young age of 14, he studied under Jose Luzan, a well-known painter at that time. Eventually, he moved to Madrid where he continued his studies with Anton Raphael Mengs, who was a popular painter amongst the Spanish royalty. Later on, Goya started to study with Francisco Bayeu y Subias. Many art historians have identified this period in Goya' s life as the point when he started painting in a style similar to what he is known for today.
Of course, other aspects of Goya's life progressed as well. He got married to Bayeu's sister, and began to work on the designs of the Royal Tapestry Factory. For five years, he painted on these tapestries and was able to complete 42 patterns. His work found a home literally in the palaces of the Spanish monarchs. The monarch paid attention to him because of his work, and he was granted access to the royal court. Eventually, he became a member of the Royal Academy of Fine Art, the academy that denied him previously.
Goya became a famous painter to the Spanish nobility. Many monarchs asked to have their portraits painted by Goya. In fact, in 1789, he was the court painter of Charles IV. He was able to paint the King and Queen and various other portraits of the royal family. Goya is gutsy in a sense that he never painted to flatter. He never attempted to cover up a flaw, and would include this in a matter of fact way in his paintings. His paintings were very honest and depicted society and the monarchy at that time. Therefore, Francisco Goya paintings were considered as social commentary at that time.
Francisco Goya paintings have undergone different thematic changes throughout the decades. Goya was initially famous for his portraits of the Spanish monarchy. However, aside from this, he also worked on paintings of festivals. Gradually, his art evolved into scenes of war and human humiliation. These darker themes came during his latter years, when his temper worsened, and he became deaf. He spiralled into insanity and madness, which resulted in some frightening Francisco Goya paintings.
Goya is particularly well known for two of his paintings – The Nude Maja and The Clothed Maja. They are paintings of the same woman - one is clothed while the other is naked. The Nude Majais considered the "first totally profane life-size female nude in Western Art." Francisco Goya paintings may inspire you, shock you, or terrify you, but every one of them will leave you in awe.
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