Wittgenstein's MonsterI want to start a new series where I introduce artists I love — not as an art historian, but as someone moved by their work.
First up: Francisco #Goya (1746–1828).
#ArtHistory #BlackPaintings
Side note: been listening to Natalia Lafourcade’s newest album Cancionera while writing this thread. Perfect background.
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/album/4gqGuqjdi0io8D0vgMPczu?si=7AdjzvHMRZWXrcXOYx4hcQ
Goya was born in 1746 to ordinary parents, in a Spain struggling to modernize under the Bourbons.
Before him, here’s a piece by his teacher José Luzán — The Dream of Joseph (c. 1770). A fine example of #Rococo, soon eclipsed by Goya’s darker vision.
https://www.artehistoria.com/obras/sueno-de-san-jose-0?utm_source=chatgpt.com
This series will focus on Goya’s Black Paintings (1819–1823).
Painted directly on the walls of his home outside Madrid, they are some of the most haunting images in art — born from isolation, war, and disillusionment.
Saturn Devouring His Son.
Goya takes an old myth and turns it feral — a father consuming his child. A vision of power eating itself.
Essay: https://artincontext.org/saturn-devouring-one-of-his-sons-by-francisco-goya/
The Dog.
A tiny figure swallowed by earth and sky. Every time I see it, I think of my old dog Kelsey — five years gone, but this painting always brings her back.
Instead of an essay, here’s Twain’s A Dog’s Tale:
https://storyoftheweek.loa.org/2011/04/dog-tale.html
Witches’ Sabbath.
Yes, the devil looms in the center — but the women look more like they’re praying, shrinking back in fear. Not witches giving themselves to him, but people caught in terror.
Essay: https://blog.artsper.com/en/a-closer-look/witches-sabbath-the-great-he-goat/
Here we see Goya playing prophet — the incel in his natural environment.
(Man Mocked by Two Women, c. 1819–1823)
Follow-up: essay on the painting →
https://www.thehistoryofart.org/francisco-de-goya/man-mocked-by-two-women/
Men Reading.
Said to be politicians huddled over a single newspaper. Honestly, it feels like today’s lawmakers “sharing” bills — slow, ponderous, stalling.
And if you’re curious what those men were reading (and stalling) about…
Here’s a sharp overview of early 19th-c Spain: absolutism vs. liberalism, the Constitution of 1812, and the endless back-and-forth that shaped Goya’s world.
Essay: https://www.spainthenandnow.com/spanish-history/19th-c-spain-overview-politics
Final one: Two Old Ones Eating Soup.
And with that, time for me to eat my own dinner. Thanks for coming to my TED Talk about Goya — and everything else rattling around my head this afternoon.
