Goya - Crazy like a Genius

"Goya - crazy like a Genius" is a documentary from 2007 about Spanish painter Francisco Goya, presented by by Robert Hughes, Art Critic and Writer (born in Australia, 1938 – 2012). 

In this documentary , Robert Hughes truly fascinated by Goya's paintings and life, talked with passion about his favourite artist. When in 2004 after the accident, Hughes was 6 weeks in coma, he claims that during this time he mentally lived in Goya's World where all the creatures from his paintings appeared, laughing at him. That shows incredible influence  that Goya's work had on Hughes.

"Goya was born on another side of the World somehow, He was clever enough, smart enough and skilful enough that he could play the World's game". Leon Golub, American artist 

Francisco Goya (1746 - 1848) was born in a small Spain village  - Zaragoza. His first job as an artist was painting religious scenes in Church of era Pillar. In 1770 young Goya painted 11 huge stories of life of Mary. He also painted himself in the corner ,unfortunately those beautiful paintings were unprotected as he used the oil paint on the wall and French artists fixed his paintings.

Goya was very young and productive artist. In 1774 he stopped painting murals and started painting tapestries and portraits of every important person  in Madrid. Darker side of Goya beginning to show in his tapestries he painted fighting between lower and upper class.

In 1788 Charles IV died and Goya became famous chief court painter. Where he painted women, he was very detailed, shows every piece of jewellery, beautiful dresses and gesture.

Goya was in relationship with a young dancer Maria del Pilar Teresa Cayetana Alvarez de Toledo. He often painted her portraits, one of them shows Maria with two rings on her finger with their names. Unfortunately, it was only his fantasy, not hers. She is pointing on the ground where is written "only Goya".

Goya, Maria del Pillar, 1797

 Francisco Goya, Antonia Zárate, 1805

Robert Hughes talked about two important pictures painted by Goya. Both of the same theme, the big religious feast day, painted 30 years apart.

Francisco Goya San Isidro Feast 1788

First one painted in 1788 "San Isidro Feast" portray big religious Feast Day where elegantly dressed, people celebrate and enjoy their time outdoors with families. This impressionist scene with a beautiful Madrid on the horizon line, Goya painted with light, pastel colours. The atmosphere on this picture is calm and still. Goya wanted belong to this distinguished, stylish Madrid.

La Romelia de San Isidro 1819

In 1819, 30 years later Goya painted the same scene, the same topic, however this time he painted horrible, scary dark figures rolling towards camera. their faces are scared and weird. Goya changed dramatically, painted trough his eyes, his filter and pessimism. That painting is irrational and scary painted mostly in dark brown and black colours.

1792 suddenly Goya's life went horribly wrong. He was very ill, had vertigo, blindness and deafness. It turned him away from being a famous artist, something has change inside him. No more jokes and talks in his life, he painted only for money, seems like the idyllic world never existed.  This time violence and dark scenes were on every of his paintings. Series painting of horrible and scary Witches shows that he faced his demons and he tried to control them trough art. 

Goya was incredible talented artist. First war reporter , showed cruelty and atrocity in his paintings, which are perfectly reflect horrible image of the war. I love his paintings and honestly, he painted what he saw and felt, no matter of public opinion. The dark side of Goya linked to my second Major Project theme "Black". Is so inspiring how he communicate trough his art and how strong and powerful might be colour black. Many years ago, in secondary school we talked about Goya, and I was impressed of his work and personality. However now I see everything different and I do understand more, probably because of my life experience and what is happening in the World. I am glad that we talked about Goya and I do understand Robert Hughes fascination about him. I would love to look again trough Goya's graphic and create  tattoos based on his art.

Guidepost,Wright J. (2021) San Isidro En Ifema Madrid Available from https://www.guidepost.es/san-isidro-gets-a-rousing-welcome-back-in-pandemic-format/ Accessed 10.04.22

The Guardian, Cumming L. (2015)Goya: The Portraits review – the artist in an extraordinary new light

  Available on: https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2015/oct/11/goya-the-portraits-review-national-gallery-astonishing-show-radical-truthfulness, [Accessed on: 24.04.22]

Artbook (2015) ,Goya: Order and Disorder, Available on: https://www.artbook.com/9780878468089.html , [Accessed on:24.04.22]