Francisco de Goya and Dark Imagination

Francisco de Goya y Lucientes, commonly known as Goya, was a prominent painter and engraver in Spain during the transition between the 18th and 19th centuries, a period characterized by the Enlightenment, early Romanticism, and the challenging Napoleonic War in Spain of that time (Malache, 2017, p.5).

    Born into a comfortable family in Aragon, he began his artistic training under the tutelage of José Luzán, court painter to King Philip V. His early steps in the field were far from easy, as he faced initial rejection by the Royal Academy of San Fernando in Madrid. This led him to embark on a formative journey to Rome and Parma, where he sought to perfect his artistic style in line with the prevailing neoclassical trend of the time. During his stay in Italy, Goya learned from classical and baroque works, aiming to forge a solid and enriching academic foundation for his artistic development upon returning to Zaragoza, where he married Josefa Bayeu, sister of Francisco Bayeu, who was court painter to Charles III. This marriage provided the master with numerous commissions from the Court (Mena Marqués,s.f.).

 The so-called dark period of Goya's life reveals a profound immersion by the artist into the depths of his own psyche, marked by physical and emotional deterioration. It is for this reason that these works emerged as tangible manifestations of the darkness enveloping the painter’s soul. The disturbing expression of this phase finds its roots in a fusion of personal and social elements, delineating a visual discourse that transcends aesthetic conventions and delves into the darkest introspection.

In this context, Goya's proximity to Enlightenment ideals and his fascination with the portrait artistry of a Spanish society imbued with popular culture and superstition is evident in the series of engravings The Caprices. These works are distinguished by their sharp social critique and exploration of the darker aspects of human nature, capturing the complexities of a society that, despite Enlightenment ideals, still found itself immersed in the shadows of popular beliefs. Additionally, a new prevailing style emerges: Romanticism (Díaz, 2002, p.1-4).

This reflection focuses on the relative interest in hidden and mysterious themes, aspects that acquire a prominent presence in some of the artist's most eminent works. In these creations, the master deploys a wide range of representations that stir imagination and address the intersection between superstition and reality within the social and historical context of the time. A paradigmatic example of this trend is found in his previously mentioned series of engravings, where Goya addresses witchcraft from a satirical perspective, using grotesque and disturbing images to denounce the entrenched ignorance of contemporary society, inviting reflection through absurdity and his own vision of madness (Colorado Castellary, 2009, p. 221).

To understand what is ugly in Goya and how he adapts denunciation to the times, in the work The Fates (1819), an original mural painting part of the so-called black paintings now housed at the Prado Museum, the author presents a pictorial representation that encapsulates the existential anguish of a human being immersed in an uncertain destiny, personifying the essence of Romanticism. In this piece, the Moirae are depicted as agents causing Goya's ultimate torment in his twilight years, exacerbated by the absolute failure of the triumph of his ideals, marked by the painful influence of his own illness. The cultural substrate of the artist is manifested through his profound knowledge of mythology where The Fates take on a spectral form. This iconographic choice, in line with the concept of the sinister, reveals the dark side of reason and underscores the deployment of a somber aesthetic. In this context, noble causes and positive ideals are subtly adulterated, inducing reflection on how the person, immersed in contemplation, navigates towards consideration of evil.

In line with what is ugly, in the painting of The Witches' Sabbath (1823), which should not be confused with a homonymous work from 1798, constitutes another of the black paintings conceived by the author for Quinta del Sordo (Arellano, 1994, pp.260-261). This painting reiterates the theme of the grotesque and the beastly. In this work, Goya presents a vision of society under pernicious influence, personified by malevolent entities, with the goat-man clearly alluding to Satan. This choice to represent evil through the figure of the Great Goat demands contextualized consideration. To understand this representation, one must look back to ancient Greek mythology (Montalbán López, 2021), where there exists a minor deity, Pan, who shares certain iconographic similarities. Pan, an entity associated with fertility and pastoral life, is characterized by goat legs, horns on his head, and a flute. His Roman equivalent is Faunus, symbolizing the wild nature and connection between the divine and earthly realms.

The relationship between Pan and the etymological origin of the word "panic," which denotes sudden irrational fear in extreme situations, adds a layer of semantic complexity to Goya's representation. In this sense, the perception of what is incorrect, lascivious, and evil itself crystallizes, according to the Inquisition, as a direct allusion to Satan, thus consolidating the association between the figure of the goat-man and the representation of evil in the work at hand (Cardete del Olmo, 2015, pp. 47-72). All this takes on its meaning in the work, as beyond the indistinct features of the protagonists, the artist, in a state of neglect due to his illness, opts for strokes and blotches that evoke unease in the viewer at the sight of the cadaverous witches, marking a notable contrast with the figure wrapped in a shawl, whom the author had previously depicted in La Leocadia.

In any case, as Gassier (Gassier & Wilson, 1974, p.315) argues to understand this series of sublime works, one must see them in their entirety, that is, within a thread introduced by La Leocadia. One need not look far for notable evidence in contemporary works from other countries. Nonetheless, all this trend towards the ugly, old age, and Satanism comes to an end when the artist begins working on what are called The Albums (Colorado Castellary, 2009).

To summarize, it is important to note that although Goya explored witchcraft in his works, his intentions may not have been simply to illustrate the popular beliefs of the time. Indeed, there are various opinions among scholars about what the painter intends to represent with these images, ranging from madness, belief in supernatural forces, the sublime, or even social criticism. The artist used his artistic genius to explore the complexity of witchcraft during an era filled with superstitions and fears. 

Bibliography

Arellano, I., Lisón Tolosana, C. (1994). Witches in the History of Spain, Madrid, Temas de hoy, 374 pp. Rilce-revista De Filologia Hispanica, 10 (2), 144-147.

Cardete del Olmo M. (2015). Between Pan and the Devil: The Process of Demonization of the God Pan. Universidad Complutense de Madrid.

Colorado Castellary, A. (2009). Goya and witches. Revista de Estudios Culturales, 23, 217-229. 

Gassier, P. & Wison, J. (1974). Life and Work of Francisco Goya: Complete Reproduction of His Works: Paintings, Drawings, and Engravings. Juventud.

Gómiz León, J. J. (2011). Goya (1746-1828): his life and works, family and friends, circumstances of his time and profiles of the most relevant characters. Biblioteca Virtual Miguel de Cervantes.

Malache, M.J. (2017). Francisco de Goya: From Court Celebrations to Social Criticism. Titivillus.

Martín Díaz, O. (2002). Goya, black paintings. Trama y fondo: revista de cultura, 13,, 83-94.

Mena Marqués, M. B. (s.f.). Francisco de Goya y Lucientes | Real Academia de la Historia. DB-e | Real Academia de la Historia. https://dbe.rah.es/biografias/11203/francisco-de-goya-y-lucientes