-
Artist: Francisco de Goya (Spanish, 1746-1828)
Spanish painter, illustrator, and engraver. Regarded as one of the latest Old Masters and earlier modern artists. Works reflected contemporary historical upheavals and was an influential figure for 19th-20th century artists. He admired masters such as Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn and Diego Velázquez. Goya's drawings and engravings are inspired by Rembrandt's work; Velazquez’s paintings informed him of the study of nature and the language of realism. Both commissioned and uncommissioned works demonstrate Goya's keen observations of patrons and society through exaggerated realism that borders on caricature. His art incorporates purposeful satires, while utilizing caricature in drawings and prints that attacked political, social, and religious abuses. Etchings, drawings and paintings during and after the Napoleonic Invasion and The Restoration demonstrate his reactions to the horrors of war and the brutality of Ferdinand VII. He self-exiled in Bordeaux where he recorded his impressions of the world alongside fellow exiles in the new medium of lithography.