Still Life With Golden Bream By Francisco De Goya

Still Life with Golden Bream, by Francisco de Goya, is a painting painted 1808-1812. This painting expresses sympathy for uncorrupted innocents, a tyranical authority, and the imagination and intensity of feeling, all big points that Romanticism taught. It depicts a group of fish all piled upon each other, staring dead into the sky. While this painting was in the works, the peninsular War was going on. The conflict was between Napoleon and the Allied powers of Spain; in its wake, many suffered casualties, both soldiers and civilians. This painting subtly hints to these casualties, bodies piled on each other, staring lifeless into the beyond. The fishes eyes remain wide open, just as the eyes of the dead always watch their killers. The painting
also depicts a wave, which seems to be rolling towards the fish. This signifies how even a resting place will be overtaken, just as Napoleon did with Spain. Romanticism always felt strongly for the life of animals and the innocence of nature. The death of these fish and the death of hundreds of civilians provide a great insight into how Francisco Goya felt during the Peninsular War. The dark and bland coloring of the work produce a very gloomy and depressing tone. In addition, the strong lighting towards the fish focus the attention of the viewer to the fish and away from the dark ocean that surrounds the fish. All of this provides a pitiful spotlight onto the fish, making the viewer see the fish as more than an ordinary meal. This painting in located in the Museum of Fine Arts (Houston, TX).