Francisco Goya Romanticism

Fear, this word can be used in describing the paintings that Francisco Goya painted during the romanticism period. Around this time the French (which was run by Neapolitan) were dominating the land of Spain to gain control. Anyone would be scared seeing their own home crumbled under the destruction of war and distrust. Goya was one of the few who used this fear to his advantage and portrayed it throughout his works of art. He fought back using politics using his artistic expertise.
One of the black paintings that caught my eye was of a cannibalistic man eating another human. This shows what Goya went through during this time through the colors, shapes, and technique of the oily canvas.
When Goya was living his life he displayed what he saw,
or at least his interpretation of his country during the destruction of his homeland. “These were better known as the black paintings.” One that was the most intriguing to the eye was Saturn Devouring his Son. This painting was started in the year of 1819, and was not finished until 1823. This was painted on the outskirts of Madrid, Spain. It is one of 14 “black paintings”. Each of the painting were used as political voices to demonstrate how corrupted the country was during this time. These were painting on his wall in his house during this time. Each more demented than the last. The one that was the most demonic and horrific was Saturn Devouring his Son.
When Goya was living his life he displayed what he saw, or at least his interpretation of his country during the destruction of his homeland.
“These were better known as the black paintings.” One that was the most intriguing to the eye was Saturn Devouring his Son. The colors that he decided to use are very questionable. The dark shades of black and greens lead the population to wonder what it is that’s there. It leaves a bitter aftertaste in the mouths of who have seen it. The jet-black background helps lead the eyes away from the background to focus on the person himself in the painting. Known to man dark colors such as blacks and greys usually mean demonic, or ominus. Whereas, the brighter ones are to show warmth and joy. The brighter colors have been put onto the silhouettes of the painting to show the main focus of this. With Goya on the other hand he used to brighter colors in collaboration with the darker ones to show the darkness that has been consuming his homeland during this
time.
The colors and shades of the painting were very defining features to the design of it. This can also be said true about the shapes used to make the titan. The shapes in this were mainly focused on the titan himself. The background had no shapes. All of them were used to define the bodies, of both the gigantic man, and human. The shapes were used to show the dysfunctional, and distorted body. The shape of the carcass in his hand has shown that there is. Goya could have gotten the repulsive looks from the fetuses he had to see due to the miscarriages his wife had throughout his life. He had multiple children in his life, but only one survived through infancy. He must’ve also seen the disfigured bodies during the downfall of the royal family to France. There’s the possibility that he couldn’t handle that traumatic experience in his life later on and portrayed it through the one ability that has never disappointed him. His ability to produce art. After making this painting not only do you focus on the malnourished body, but people notice the expression from the titan devouring the lifeless corpse.

Every person has The expression of Saturn is that of determination, fear, and despair.
The look of this is based off of a Roman myth that Goya heard of. Saturn was told of a prophecy that one of his children were going to dethrone him. As an act to counter the terror he was notified of, Saturn consumed each of his children shortly after birth to ensure his succession as king. His wife however hid the sixth child, Jupiter. (who eventually overthrew him). The despair that was painted was possibly to demonstrate how the monarchy of the kingdom was desperately trying to stay in power as Napoleon was charging forward in the march to bring down the spanish empire. The look in the eyes of Saturn can see his distress, and his desire to stay in command. The explanations of this painting are all just guesses from art directors and creators. According to Visual Art Corks, in their article “Saturn Devouring his Son” “ As usual, some issues remain unclear. To begin with, the rounded buttocks and thighs of the half-eaten victim in Saturn's hands are not those of a boy or man. It is clear therefore that he is eating one of his daughters. And she is no child but a well-developed young woman. So what does it all mean? Is it really an allegorical picture and, if so, who does Saturn represent?” The evidence here has left for the minds to wander about who, what, why this would be here. After doing research on Goya’s life it is very easy to piece together as to why he would paint this. Saturn
is the Royal family trying to stay prosperous, while from the lore, Napoleon is “Jupiter”. Goya painted this to show how history was back then.
This painting is a relic residing in Madrid. It is a piece of history that shows how one of the most famous artists during that time has shown what happened. This is possibly one of the few paintings that were hidden to show that we should never have a dispute with sister lands, and not to repeat history. The meaning behind this painting has history linked with every stroke and color put into it. The technique used has shown the evolution of Spain. This painting is priceless to man.