Francisco Goya, The Great Hispanic Heritage

Home > Other > Francisco Goya, The Great Hispanic Heritage > Page 7
Francisco Goya, The Great Hispanic Heritage Page 7

by Tim McNeese


  BaCK at eL piLar

  A new set of frescoes needed painting at El Pilar. The new

  cathedralhadthreedomesandtheiradjacentwalls,allbare

  andreadyfordecorating.YetGoyahadnotbeensummoned

  to work on the dome paintings alone. The Bayeu brothers,

  60

  “The Enlightened Ones”

  61

  Francisco and Ramon, who had been working for years on

  the construction project, were also there. Soon Goya’s new

  ego caused him to clash with the two brothers. Goya was

  reportedas“beinghaughty,proudandintractableinhisdeal-

  ingswith[Francisco]Bayeu,whowas,afterall,thedirector

  oftheproject.”50 ThetwoFranciscosquarreled.Perhapsfeel-

  ingthatGoya’snewartisticskillswereathreattohim,Bayeu

  delayed acceptance of Goya’s sketches to the cathedral’s

  buildingcommittee.Disgustedandangry,Goyapreparedto

  quittheproject.Thenhereceivedaletterthatwouldchange

  everything.ItwasfromafriaratthemonasteryofAulaDei,

  whomGoyahadbefriendedwhenheworkedonthatearlier

  project. Brother Salcedo’s note was a gentle rebuke of the

  volatileGoya.Headmonishedthetemperamentalartistthat

  “thereisinmannomorenoble,Christianandreligiousact

  than to humble oneself to another when reason and God’s

  law ask it.”51 The friar reminded Goya that Bayeu had the

  buildingcommittee’searandrespectandthatGoyawasina

  fighthecouldnotwin.ToGoya’scredit,theletterchanged

  his attitude. He remained on the project, submitted new

  sketchesasBayeuhadrequested,andbyMay1781,finished

  theworkhehadbeenpreparedtoabandon.

  His ceiling fresco, Virgin, Queen of Martyrs, was clearly

  superior to those the Bayeu brothers had been working on.

  Goya’s patience was at an end, however, and he demanded

  paymentfromthecommitteefortheworkhehadcompleted.

  The artist was paid, but the committee stripped him of his

  additionalprojectsonAulaDei,handingthemofftotheBayeu

  brothers.Thecommitteethenaddedafreshinsultbyawarding

  thebrothersandeventheirsister,Goya’swife,withsilvermed-

  als.GoyasoonleftSaragossaindisgust.Hewouldlaterpenhis

  feelings,claiming,“OnrememberingSaragossaandpaintingI

  burnalive.”52

  Once again, Goya chose Madrid as his destination for

  newopportunities.CarlosIIIannouncedacontestinwhich

  sevenartistswouldbechosentodecoratetheChurchofSan

  62

  FRANCISCO GOyA

  FranciscoelGrande.Goyavowednotonlytocompetebutto

  winthecommissionoverallhiscompetitors.Ifthishappened,

  he speculated, the next natural step was to be appointed as

  PaintertotheKing.BythefollowingSeptember,hissketch

  forthecompetitionwasselected.Goyawouldbeoneofthe

  paintersfortheSanFranciscochurch.

  ByAugust1781,Goyawasatworkonhisfirstsketchforthe

  church,the Preaching of San Bernardino.Heshortlypresented

  it to the state official who was supervising the project, José

  Moñino,countofFloridablanca,whomCarlosIIIhadchosen

  ashisprimeministerin1776.Theking,infact,turnedincreas-

  ingly“tomoremoderatebuthardlylessenlightenedmenfor

  counsel,”53 including Floridablanca, Pedro de Campomanes,

  andGasparMelchordeJovellanos.

  FrieNDs iN HiGH pLaCes

  FloridablancaandhisfriendPedroRodriguezdeCampomanes

  would both come to play significant roles in Francisco

  Goya’slife.CampomaneswasanimportantleaderofSpain’s

  Enlightenment.Hewasaforward-thinkinglawyer,anecono-

  mist,andmostimportantly,anadvisortotheking.Hewasthe

  leaderofthe ilustrados,whichmeans“theenlightenedones.”

  His close associate was Jovellanos, who was one of the most

  liberal officials in the king’s court. He was well respected as

  aneconomist,aswellasapoetandreformer,earninghimthe

  titleof“themosteminentSpaniardofhisage.”54 Thesemen

  were the new movers and shakers within the Spanish court.

  Theypromotedtheexpansionofdomesticbusinessandindus-

  try and helped to establish Spain’s national bank, the Banco

  NacionaldeSanCarlos.

  The prime minister approved the work, and Goya com-

  pletedthepaintingthefollowingyear.Itwasinstalledinthe

  churchonJanuary11,1783.Almostayearpassedbeforethe

  kingfinallymadeavisittothechurch,buthewaspleasedwith

  whathesawandcongratulatedGoyapersonally.Althoughthe

  project and the royal response took years, it was a triumph

  “The Enlightened Ones”

  63

  Goya’s 1783 portrait of Count Floridablanca is considered his

  first important portrait commission. Goya was very disappointed

  that the count, a high-ranking royal official, was unimpressed

  by the finished piece. The artist has included himself in the

  painting, something he often did, holding up a canvas for the

  count’s approval.

  64

  FRANCISCO GOyA

  forGoya,whosowantedtoreceivetheapprovaloftheroyal

  court.GoyaalsoachievedanotherimportantcoupinJanuary

  of1783.Thatmonth,PrimeMinisterFloridablancacommis-

  sionedhimtopainttheSpanishofficial’sportrait.

  Goyawasecstatic.InalettertohisoldfriendZapater,he

  wrote,“AlthoughCountFloridablancahasadvisedmetosay

  nothing,mywifeknows,andIalsowantyoualonetoknow,

  thatIamtopainthisportrait,whichcanbeofgreatadvantage

  tome.”55Goyapouredhimselfintothecommission.Atfirst,

  theprojectwentwell.Floridablancaposedfortheartist,andin

  anotherlettertoZapater,Goyaexcitedlytoldhisfriend:“On

  thisdayIhaveputintheheadoftheportrait...inhispres-

  enceandhavesucceededingettingagoodlikenessandheis

  verycontent.”56

  a DisappOiNtiNG pOrtrait

  Goya tried to do everything he could to satisfy the prime

  minister. The royal official was not the most handsome of

  men, yet Goya did not want to smooth over the realities of

  thecount’sappearance.Instead,heemphasizedthegrandeur

  ofFloridablanca’stitleandimportance.Hepaintedhimina

  brilliantlyred,gold-trimmedsatinsuit,agoldmedalpromi-

  nently on display at his chest. At Floridablanca’s left and in

  thebackgroundisananxiousroyalofficial,peninhand,asif

  waitingforofficialwordsfromtheprimeministerthatmust

  be committed to parchment. Goya even included himself

  in the portrait, at Floridablanca’s right, holding up a canvas

  for his subject’s approval. Everywhere, across the portrait,

  Goya included books, official documents, charts, and maps
,

  all denoting Floridablanca’s interests and responsibilities. In

  thebackdrop,theartistplacedaportraitoftheking.Perhaps

  oddly, Goya illuminates his painting so that only the prime

  minister is well lit, with every other element presented in

  muted shadows. With seemingly every fold of his clothing

  gilded,Floridablancaalmostshimmers,hisblueeyessparkling

  withequalbrilliance.Itisareasonablypaintedwork,grandin

  “The Enlightened Ones”

  65

  intent,but“lackinginpassionateobjectivity.”57 Itappearsthat

  Goya,whomayhavebeennervousthroughtheentireprocess

  ofpaintingtheportrait,issimplyshowingthecounthistech-

  nicalskills,evenasheistryingtoflatterhissubject.

  In the end, the portrait of Floridablanca, which stands

  as one of his first official portraits, did not bring Goya the

  immediate recognition and praise he sought from this most

  important of royal officials. The count posed when needed,

  and Goya received much support from Floridablanca’s wife

  duringtheproject,butintheend,theprimeministeralmost

  seemstohavechosentooverlookGoya.WhenFloridablanca

  finallyviewedthefinishedportrait,hematter-of-factlysaidto

  theanxiousartist,“Goya,wewillclearthisuplater.”58 What

  exactlytheprimeministermeantremainedamystery,forhe

  and Goya never discussed the portrait again. In fact, Goya

  was never paid for his work. A disappointed Goya wrote yet

  anotherlettertoZapater:“Everyoneisastonishedthatnothing

  shouldhavecomefromtheMinisterofState.Ifnothingcomes

  fromthatdirection,thereisnothingmoretohopefor;andthe

  disappointmentissomuchthegreaterwhenonehashadsuch

  greathopes.”59

  NeW DOOrs OpeNiNG

  Despite the cool response by the prime minister to his por-

  trait, doors soon were opening for Goya. It appears that

  FloridablancaintroducedGoyatotheking’syoungestbrother,

  theInfanteDonLuisdeBourbon,whowouldbecomeanew

  client for Goya. In a way, Don Luis was a secondary figure

  in the Spanish court. His life story is a mixed one. He was

  appointedacardinalintheCatholicChurchatage10,onlyto

  surrenderthoseresponsibilitiesasanadultbecausehecould

  not bear remaining celibate. He finally married at age 35, in

  1776,choosing thebeautifulDonaMariaTeresadeVallabriga,

  whohailedfromanoblefamilyfromAragon.(DonLuishad

  beendeniedamarriagewithanyoneofimportanceintheroyal

  familyline,possiblytokeephisheirsoutoflinetoinheritthe

  66

  FRANCISCO GOyA

  monarchy.)DonLuiswasalsonotallowedtobringhisbride

  toliveinanyoftheroyalpalaces,sohespenthismarriedlife

  livingoutsideofMadrid.

  Goyawasinvitedtospendseveralweeksduringfall1783

  at Don Luis’s residence at Arenas de San Pedro, situated on

  the south slope of the Gredos Mountains, 50 miles (18 kilo-

  meters)outsideMadrid.HeandDonLuiswenthunting,and

  the Infante shared his hobbies, which included botany, with

  theartist.IfFloridablancahadactedcoolandaloofwithGoya,

  Don Luis was a hearty companion and supporter. Goya and

  hiswifespentanenjoyabletimeinthemountains.Inanother

  GOYa’s priVate LiFe

  By the 1780s, Francisco Goya was finding his place in the realm

  of Spanish art. He was on his way to becoming the famous art-

  ist of his destiny. yet what of Goya’s own family? How do they

  fit into his world at this time? Goya and his family lived “in one

  of the oldest and most charming parts of the city”* at No. 1

  Calle del Desengano, in the steep quarter of northeast Madrid.

  It would be his home for 45 years, until 1824, when he moved

  to France. He moved only once during those decades, to the

  second floor of another house across the street at the corner of

  Calle del Desengano and Calle Valverde.

  In 1784, Goya’s son, Xavier, was born in the house at No. 1.

  Of all the Goya children, Xavier was the only one to survive into

  adulthood. Already, several children born to Goya and his wife

  had died at birth or while still quite young. Other than Xavier,

  only one other child lived long enough to be baptized. (It was

  a common experience in 1700s Spain for parents to face the

  pain of premature child death and miscarriage.) Josefa miscar-

  ried frequently. In addition, Goya’s father and sister, Rita, died

  in 1781.

  * Quoted in Jeannine Baticle, Goya: Painter of Terrible Splendor

  (new York: harry n. abrams, inc., 1994), 44.

  “The Enlightened Ones”

  67

  lettertoZapater,Goyastates,“HisHighnessbehavedverygra-

  ciously,Ipaintedhisportrait,hiswife’s,thelittleboy’s,andthe

  little girl’s with unexpected success, [as] four other painters

  didnotsucceed.”60 SosupportivewasDonLuisofGoyaand

  hisworkthathegavetheartist20,000reales.HegaveGoya’s

  wifeagown,“allinsilverandgold,”61 Thehouseservantstold

  Goyathatthegownwasworth30,000reales.

  WhenGoyaandhiswifeleftthemountainestateofDon

  Luis that fall (after returning a second time), the Infanta,

  Don Luis’s wife, Dona Maria Teresa, paid the artist 30,000

  realesforapairofpaintings,probablythe Portrait of Maria

  Teresa Vallabriga on Horsebackandthewonderfullyexecuted

  Family of the Infante Don Luis, which is considered to be

  one of Goya’s masterpieces. Before their October farewell,

  DonLuisaskedafavoroftheAragoneseartist.Herequested

  thatGoyapaintaportraitofhisfavoritearchitect,Ventura

  Rodriguez. Goya agreed and produced a portrait worthy of

  his talent as a portrait artist. While he had produced the

  Floridablanca portrait awkwardly, Goya appears to have

  surmountedhisanxieties.HisportraitsofDonLuis’sfamily

  andofthearchitectRodriguezarefluid,theworkofahighly

  skilledandconfidentartist.

  The painting of Don Luis’s family is Goya’s first major

  groupportrait.Itiscrowdedwith14men,women,andchil-

  dren,includingtheartisthimself,whoistuckedinthelower

  left corner, half lit and nearly unseen. Given the crowd of

  subjects, the work is quite complex. The composition falls

  backonearlierEuropeanexamples,suchastheEnglishschool

  andWilliamHogarth,whomGoyawasfamiliarwiththrough

  prints.TheSpanishartistDiegoVelázquezmayalsohavebeen

  aninspirationfortheworkthroughhismostfamousofroyal

  portraits, Las Meninas (The Maids of Honor). Goya’spainting

  featurestheInfanta’simmediatefamily,severaldomesticser-

  vants,andDonLuis’spersonalsecretaryandotherassistants.

 
GoyaplacesDonaMariaTeresaatthepainting’scenter,sitting

  informally at a table, as a servant attends to her unadorned

  68

  FRANCISCO GOyA

  In 1784, Goya painted Family of the Infante Don Luis, a piece that marked the beginning of his celebrated career as painter to the Spanish royal family. The family seems

  content and relaxed, sharing a moment presumably before bedtime, when the chil-

  dren are up late and enjoying the company of the adults. Once again, Goya places

  himself in his painting, almost as if studying the happy family before returning to his work on the canvas.

  hair.Sheiswearingashimmery,gildeddress,whichismuted

  incandlelightandpartiallyhiddenunderawhiteshawl.Atthe

  painting’s far left, two female servants stand, staring straight

  at the viewer, while holding a tray of accessories for Dona

  “The Enlightened Ones”

  69

  Teresa’shair.DonLuissitsathiswife’sside,readyforagame

  ofcards.Heisdressedinasimplehousecoat.Directlybehind

  him,atthepainting’sleft,arehissonanddaughter.(In1800,

  thedaughter,CountessChinchon,wouldsitforanotherGoya

  work,whichwouldbeoneoftheartist’sbestandmostbeauti-

  fulportraitpaintings.)Thereisathirdyouth,heldbyanurse-

  maidstandingtoDonaTeresa’sleft.

  Thepaintingisatonceanextremelyintimateone.Goya

  takes his viewers into the aristocratic family’s front parlor,

  it seems, shrouding everything in darkness after the fashion

  of a well-painted Rembrandt. The room is filled with family

  andfriends,allinterconnected,alldependentononeanother.

  Yetatcenteristhelong-marriedcouple,DonLuisandMaria

  Teresa, simply depicted and unassuming; he the banished

  king’s brother, and she, the unacceptable marriage partner,

  keptfromcourt.Goyahaspaidthemhomageevenasthecourt

  holdsthematarm’slength.Itisasympatheticportrait,richin

  half-lightandwarmcolors.Everyoneappearsrelaxed,ascat-

  teringofcontentedsmilesdenotingcomfortandacceptance.

  Allisright,andGoyaisthere,capturingitallforposterity.

  a Year OF NeW sUCCesses

  Less than a week after the birth of Xavier, Goya scored

  another triumph. King Carlos III finally unveiled the altar

 

‹ Prev