Francisco De Goya Luciente's The Drowning Dog

The artwork ‘The Dog’ by Francisco de Goya Lucientes was very enigmatic from right from the first glance. From the lingering shadow, to the dog’s expression, there were many ambiguous and vague details which left a lot to the interpretation of the viewer themselves. The painting was called many things by different viewers and artists, such as “The Drowning Dog” or “The Sinking Dog”, which just shows the many different ways the audience interpreted this scene. Many viewed this scene as as a dog finding himself stuck behind a ledge, unable to escape the hidden doom that is awaiting him. Although the circumstances of the dog remained a mystery as the surrounding environment gave no hint of what was happening, it was evident from the way that Goya
These paintings were very personal to Goya and were painted straight onto the walls of his own home, depicting dark scene of disturbing characters. Goya previously created etchings in his life as a form of protest and dissatisfaction to the ruling of King Ferdinand IV. These etchings provided a large amount of grief for Goya as they forced him into exile, making him have to leave the Spanish court and putting him into disgrace. This in combination with the serious illness he was suffering at the time cause Goya to fall into a deep depression. Feeling very isolated from society and suffering a great deal, this artwork appeared to be a means of expression for the mental state Goya was in at the time. The sadness and disparity expressed on the dogs face reflected the painter's own emotions, and Goya placed his fears and anxieties into this character he created. The sense of impending doom Goya created in the artwork represented the sudden realisation of his own mortality as he faced this serious illness, which added to the darkness within the piece. Even the pure act of painting these paintings on the walls of his own home showed how personal these paintings were to Goya. In his earlier lifetime, Goya was commissioned mostly to paint portraits of people and families, even painting a portrait of King Charles IV and his family. However, in contrast, these paintings were the complete opposite to his earlier works, not only due to the much darker, monotone colour palette he used in these paintings, but due to the fact that these paintings were only intended for Goya to see alone. Goya painted these on the walls of his very home as they were personal to him, expressing the private emotions and feelings which he intended to be only for himself. This made these paintings very unique and contrasting to his previous works as Goya had more freedom to express himself, not thinking they would ever