Goya

(Paperback)

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This is a study of Francisco Goya (1746-1828), the Spanish painter and graphic artist whose work ranges from elegant and opulent royal portraits to dark depictions of horror and evil. Goya's career was a great triumph in the history of Spanish art. The son of a peasant craftsman from rural Aragon had, by the age of 40 infiltrated the most exclusive aristocracy in Western Europe, becoming court painter to the Kings of Spain. But behind his glittering portrayals of the royal family and figures of state was another world of beggars, madmen, convicts, giants and cripples: the inhabitants of the artist's private obsessions. His art expressed the full range of human experience and he became known in his lifetime as "the philosopher painter". Goya's mastery of almost every graphic technique, from tapestry cartoons to lithographs, gave him a range of pictorial clarity and expression that was at once profound, diverting and subversive. This book places Goya within the context of his Spanish heritage, traces the immense influence of his work throughout Europe and considers the continued relevance of his art in the 20th century. It draws on the most recent scholarship and on re-discovered works to create a comprehensive portrait of this most complex and enigmatic of artists.

Reviews

"Sarah Symmons has done a deft job contextualising Goya."Independent

"Symmons uses her deep understanding of Spanish institutions and Goya's contemporaries to illuminate the trajectory of his career. In presenting such a subtle and revealing image, she has done a great service to students and aficionados of Goya alike."The Art Book

On the Art & Ideas series

"Art & Ideas has broken new ground in making accessible authoritative views on periods, movements and concepts in art. As a series it represents a real advance in publishing."Sir Nicholas Serota, Director, Tate London

"The format is wonderful and offers what had long been missing in academic studies: usable manuals for specific themes or periods... I am definitely not alone in welcoming Art & Ideas as a precious set of teaching tools."Joachim Pissarro, Yale University

"Phaidon's series may prove to be the pick of the crop. It boasts expert but undogmatic texts and a wealth of illustrations."The Sunday Telegraph

Author Bio

Sarah Symmons is Senior Lecturer in the Department of Art History and Theory at the University of Essex.