Goya

Starred review from June 15, 2020
A fresh examination of one of the most significant artists in Spanish history. Francisco Goya (1746-1828) began his studies in Zaragoza before moving to Madrid in 1775, where he would spend nearly 50 years as court painter for successive monarchs. In 1824, Goya retired to France, where he spent the last four years of his life. Many works about Goya's life fail to fully explore how his art was shaped by family, friends, and travel. But as Tomlinson explains, recent discoveries, including a sketchbook used by the artist in Italy and in the years following his return to Spain, "justify a new consideration of Goya's life." The author, who has written widely on her subject, contends that his formative years in Zaragoza are often overlooked as a prologue to his later career. Zaragoza was a "source of memories and inspiration for his works," including images invoking the "sacred and profane, reality and fantasy" that he witnessed in local celebrations. Furthermore, "Goya's early familiarity" with patients in a mental hospital likely "aroused both compassion and mirth" and "might explain his deeply sympathetic representations of the insane in drawings executed many years later." While other scholars view the onset of deafness as a downturn in Goya's life, Tomlinson argues that his craft actually "blossomed in experimental works during the years to follow." The author contends that the true turning point likely occurred a decade later, in 1803, following the death of a dear friend and decline of royal patronage. "Having witnessed the exile of patrons once powerful and political alliances come and gone...Goya now looked to his family and to patrons beyond the court, working to ensure his personal and professional legacy in an increasingly unstable world." Tomlinson's meticulous distillation of a voluminous number of parish records, drawings, notes, and letters is impressive, and her knowledge of and passion for Goya continually shine through in her writing, making for a fascinating and insightful reading experience. A top-notch biography.

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October 5, 2020
Goya scholar Tomlinson (Goya: Order and Disorder) challenges conventional interpretations of Francisco Goya y Lucientes’s life and work in this passionate and well-researched biography. Employing personal letters, court documents, and one of the artist’s early sketchbooks, Tomlinson places Goya in the context of his tumultuous country and era and reveals his genius for invention, which she calls “the central tenet of his art.” Born to an artistic family in Zaragoza, Spain, in 1746, Goya apprenticed with Francisco Bayeu in Madrid, studied art in Italy, and spent his early career painting frescoes, murals, and tapestry cartoons. After acquiring a position in Madrid’s royal court, Goya painted portraits of his patrons and their wealthy associates. Bucking academic tradition, he later created paneled series, monumental historic images, and political works including a “suite of twenty-three etchings” that “criticized institutions both secular and religious.” Tomlinson refutes the common image of Goya as a dark, obsessive artist and attributes his success, instead, to his geniality and initiative. The writing is insightful, with Tomlinson’s pensive, philosophical tone mirroring her deep expertise and knack for critical thinking. This inspired, thoughtful work sheds new light on Goya and will enthrall any lover of fine art. (Sept).