Goya: Black Paintings

by Valeriano Bozal, John Pownall (Translator)

The Spanish master-painter Francisco de Goya (1746-1828) is revered not only for the delicate and sensitive treatment of his subjects but also for his radical political stance and modern sensibility. Towards the end of his life, embittered by the appalling cruelty of the Napoleonic Wars in Spain, Goya decorated the walls of his house outside Madrid with a series of 14 terrifying murals that depicted the underbelly of life and the remorselessness of human existence. Known as the Black Paintings, this series of murals is recognized as one of Goya's greatest masterpieces and now hangs in the Prado. Fully illustrated, this is the only book on the Black Paintings currently in print in English. A controversial narrative gives new interpretations of the artist's intention behind these grotesque works and shows how this period of Goya's work anticipated Surrealism and other aspects of 20th century artistic vision.

Genres: Art

Paperback

First published January 1, 1997

About the author

Valeriano Bozal Fernández (24 November 1940 – 2 July 2023) was a Spanish historian and philosopher.

Reviews

[Dina · Rating 3 out of 5]

Un libro muy completo sobre las Pinturas negras de Goya. Además me ha gustado el que se incluyera un apartado en el que se analizan cuadros de artistas como Picasso, Kubin, Bacon, Kooning... ya que Goya, sobre todo en su última etapa, fue un pintor con una sensibilidad y una visión cruda excepcional, cuya influencia en otros artistas se puede apreciar con claridad después de haber estudiado su obra. Sobre todo las Pinturas negras.

[George Dibble · Rating 2 out of 5]

2/5

It was a small but effective read in the sense that it applied some context and slight analysis to each Black Painting. However, all of the information seemed pretty rudimentary and surface level. I would have enjoyed the book more if it dug further into Goya’s mental state when he painted each piece, along with a further analysis of each work. Yet, this was just a gallery guide, so it didn’t hold a huge need to go much deeper than it did.

[Mariela Roxio · Rating 3 out of 5]

El arte que cosa mas linda.muy recomendable

[Brandon Kay · Rating 4 out of 5]

“In it the Black Paintings as a whole reach their peak of intensity: one step further on than their anecdotal subject matter, they suggest there is a world to be looked at yet. Would it be to go too far to find our own in the dog’s outlook?”

[Greg · Rating 3 out of 5]

Goya originally painted them on the walls if his house! I didn't know that! I don't much like them though but I'd love to visit the Prado Museum.