Francisco Goya

Francisco Goya - Artists, Life Achievements and Family

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Francisco Goya Biography Stories 

Francisco Goya's Personal Details

Francisco Goya was a renowned Spanish painter, noted for his royal portraits and experimental works

InformationDetail
BirthdayMarch 30, 1746
Died onApril 16, 1828
NationalitySpanish
FamousHispanic Painters, Artists & Painters, Artists
Nick namesGoya
SpousesJosefa Bayeu, Leocadia Weiss
Known asFrancisco de Goya, Francisco José de Goya y Lucientes
ChildrensJavier Goya, Maria del Rosario Weiss
Birth PlaceFuendetodos
ReligionCatholicism
GenderMale
FatherJosé Benito de Goya y Franque
MotherGracia de Lucientes y Salvador
Sun SignAries
Born inFuendetodos
Famous asPainters
Died at Age82

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Francisco Goya's photo

Who is Francisco Goya?

Francisco Goya was a famous Spanish painter, who rose to popularity for his commissioned portraits of the Spanish nobility. His portraits were unique creations of how he saw things and captured them on the canvas without artificially beautifying them. Considered to be the greatest Spanish painter during the late 18th century and early 19th century, his exemplary portraits, paintings, etches and murals marked the start of the contemporary painting era. After struggling and trying to establish himself as a painter at several places, he found initial success while studying and painting under Aragonese painter, Francisco Bayeu y Subias. His employment at the Royal Tapestry Factory helped him strengthen his career over the next few years, creating numerous cartoons inspired from everyday life, several of which were used to beautify the two Spanish royal palaces. He went on to compose portraits of various royal families, thus earning reputation as a portrait artist. Besides, he created a series of masterpieces, which beacon his distinct style and talent, some of them being ‘The Black Paintings’, ‘The Disasters of War’, ‘The Naked Maja’, ‘The Clothed Maja’, and ‘The Third of May 1808’. His works have largely influenced the later generation of artists during the 20th century, especially Pablo Picasso, Paul Cezanne Edgar Degas, Francis Bacon, and Edouard Manet.

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Childhood & Early Life

Francisco Jose de Goya y Lucientes was born on March 30, 1746, in Fuendetodos, Aragon, Spain, to master gilder Jose Benito de Goya y Franque and Gracia de Lucientes y Salvador.

His family moved to Saragossa some years later where he started working as an apprentice under painter Jose Luzan at the age of 14.

He learnt painting by imitating the works of great masters for the first four years and later moved to Madrid to study under German painter Anton Raphael Mengs.

He applied to the Real Academia de Bellas Artes de San Fernando in 1763 and 1766, but was denied admission on both occasions.

He moved to Rome where he was runner up at a painting competition in 1771 and returned to Saragossa for various projects before studying under Francisco Bayeu y Subias which brought him initial success and recognition.

Career

His introduction to royal workshops in 1774 by Mengs to paint tapestry cartoons for the Royal Tapestry Factory in Madrid proved as a boon to his artistic development.

He completed more than 60 cartoons over the next five years depicting scenes from everyday life, several of which were used to adorn the two royal Spanish residences at San Lorenzo del Escorial and El Pardo.

He was appointed as a painter at the royal court in 1779 and elected as a member of the Royal Academy of Fine Art in 1780.

He started getting recognition as a portrait artist among various royal circles, composing portraits for the Count of Floridablanca, Crown Prince Don Luis, and the Duke and Duchess of Osuna.

He was appointed as a court painter under Charles IV in 1789 and became a salaried painter in 1799, eventually capturing numerous Spanish nobles, like 9th Duke of Osuna, Maria del Pilar de Silva, and Pedro Tellez-Giron, on the canvas.

He became completely deaf in 1792 after suffering from a serious illness, following which he tried his hand at experimental paintings, including aquatinted etchings and portraits of women, eventually changing his style to a great extent.

In 1799, he released a series of 80 etchings, compiled as ‘Caprichos’, illustrating repression and corruption prevailing during that period.

Major Works

‘The Nude Maja’ (1800) and ‘The Clothed Maja’ (1803) are said to be his best compositions, illustrating a woman in nude and clothed positions, respectively.

His ‘Disasters of War’, created during the 1810s, was believed to be a representation of the Dos de Mayo Uprising during the 1808, which led to the Peninsular War of 1808-1814.

He painted ‘The Third of May 1808’ and ‘The Charge of the Mamelukes’ in 1814, portraying the horrors of the Peninsular War fought between Spain and France and the subsequent loss of human lives.

His major works during 1814-19 included print series of ‘La Tauromaquia’, etchings of ‘Los Disparates’, and altarpiece of Santa Justa and Santa Rufina for the Cathedral of Seville.

He created a group of 14 paintings, known as the ‘Black Paintings’, as murals on the walls of his house outside Madrid, probably during 1819-1823, which were removed and transferred onto canvas, some 50 years after his death.

Personal Life & Legacy

In 1773, he married his art teacher Bayeu’s sister, Josefa Bayeu y Subias. Though the couple had several children, but only one survived to adulthood – their son Xavier.

He moved to the outskirts of Madrid, where he purchased a house along River Manzanares called Quinta del Sordo (Deaf Man’s Villa) in 1819, but relocated to Bordeaux in 1824 and later Paris.

He returned to Spain in 1826, but went back to Bordeaux where he suffered a stroke in 1828 and died in April, aged 82.

He was laid to rest in Bordeaux but his remains were exhumed and interred at the Royal Chapel of St. Anthony of La Florida, Madrid, in 1919.

A number of movies have been made depicting his life, some being ‘The Naked Maja’ (1958), ‘Goya in Bordeaux’ (1999), ‘Goya’s Ghosts’ (2006), and documentary ‘Goya – Crazy Like a Genius’ (2012).

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Francisco Goya biography timelines

  • // 30th Mar 1746
    Francisco Jose de Goya y Lucientes was born on March 30, 1746, in Fuendetodos, Aragon, Spain, to master gilder Jose Benito de Goya y Franque and Gracia de Lucientes y Salvador.
  • // 1763 To 1766
    He applied to the Real Academia de Bellas Artes de San Fernando in 1763 and 1766, but was denied admission on both occasions.
  • // 1771
    He moved to Rome where he was runner up at a painting competition in 1771 and returned to Saragossa for various projects before studying under Francisco Bayeu y Subias which brought him initial success and recognition.
  • // 1773
    In 1773, he married his art teacher Bayeu’s sister, Josefa Bayeu y Subias. Though the couple had several children, but only one survived to adulthood – their son Xavier.
  • // 1774
    His introduction to royal workshops in 1774 by Mengs to paint tapestry cartoons for the Royal Tapestry Factory in Madrid proved as a boon to his artistic development.
  • // 1779 To 1780
    He was appointed as a painter at the royal court in 1779 and elected as a member of the Royal Academy of Fine Art in 1780.
  • // 1789 To 1799
    He was appointed as a court painter under Charles IV in 1789 and became a salaried painter in 1799, eventually capturing numerous Spanish nobles, like 9th Duke of Osuna, Maria del Pilar de Silva, and Pedro Tellez-Giron, on the canvas.
  • // 1792
    He became completely deaf in 1792 after suffering from a serious illness, following which he tried his hand at experimental paintings, including aquatinted etchings and portraits of women, eventually changing his style to a great extent.
  • // 1799
    In 1799, he released a series of 80 etchings, compiled as ‘Caprichos’, illustrating repression and corruption prevailing during that period.
  • // 1800 To 1803
    ‘The Nude Maja’ (1800) and ‘The Clothed Maja’ (1803) are said to be his best compositions, illustrating a woman in nude and clothed positions, respectively.
  • // 1808
    His ‘Disasters of War’, created during the 1810s, was believed to be a representation of the Dos de Mayo Uprising during the 1808, which led to the Peninsular War of 1808-1814.
  • // May 1808 To 1814
    He painted ‘The Third of May 1808’ and ‘The Charge of the Mamelukes’ in 1814, portraying the horrors of the Peninsular War fought between Spain and France and the subsequent loss of human lives.
  • // 1814 To 1819
    His major works during 1814-19 included print series of ‘La Tauromaquia’, etchings of ‘Los Disparates’, and altarpiece of Santa Justa and Santa Rufina for the Cathedral of Seville.
  • // 1819 To 1823
    He created a group of 14 paintings, known as the ‘Black Paintings’, as murals on the walls of his house outside Madrid, probably during 1819-1823, which were removed and transferred onto canvas, some 50 years after his death.
  • // 1819 To 1824
    He moved to the outskirts of Madrid, where he purchased a house along River Manzanares called Quinta del Sordo (Deaf Man’s Villa) in 1819, but relocated to Bordeaux in 1824 and later Paris.
  • // 1826 To 1828
    He returned to Spain in 1826, but went back to Bordeaux where he suffered a stroke in 1828 and died in April, aged 82.

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Francisco Goya's FAQ

  • What is Francisco Goya birthday?

    Francisco Goya was born at 1746-03-30

  • When was Francisco Goya died?

    Francisco Goya was died at 1828-04-16

  • Where was Francisco Goya died?

    Francisco Goya was died in Bordeaux

  • Which age was Francisco Goya died?

    Francisco Goya was died at age 82

  • Where is Francisco Goya's birth place?

    Francisco Goya was born in Fuendetodos

  • What is Francisco Goya nationalities?

    Francisco Goya's nationalities is Spanish

  • What is Francisco Goya nick names?

    Francisco Goya's nickNames is Goya

  • Who is Francisco Goya spouses?

    Francisco Goya's spouses is Josefa Bayeu, Leocadia Weiss

  • Who is Francisco Goya childrens?

    Francisco Goya's childrens is Javier Goya, Maria del Rosario Weiss

  • What is Francisco Goya's religion?

    Francisco Goya's religion is Catholicism

  • Who is Francisco Goya's father?

    Francisco Goya's father is José Benito de Goya y Franque

  • Who is Francisco Goya's mother?

    Francisco Goya's mother is Gracia de Lucientes y Salvador

  • What is Francisco Goya's sun sign?

    Francisco Goya is Aries

  • How famous is Francisco Goya?

    Francisco Goya is famouse as Painters