by Tim McNeese
May composition is a black-haired, mustachioed man who
sportsthickblacksideburns,sothefocalpointofhis Third
of May paintingisasimilarindividual.Couldhebethesame
maninbothpaintings?IsthemurdererofMamelukesnow
theagonizedvictimofaFrenchfiringsquad?Itisanintrigu-
ingquestion,buttheanswerisunknown.
Regardless,the Third of Maypresentsadisturbingimage
ofanguishasSpanishmenarelinedupandshot.Thepaint-
ing has a modern look and feel, with its impressionistic
brushstrokes and its heavy reliance on violence and emo-
tion. It is a painting not only painted to look outdoors, as
many studio paintings were, it appears it was painted out-
doors.TherearetheFrench,ontheirbrutaloutdoorstage,
as automaton soldiers, their anonymous faces turned away
fromtheviewer,preparingtogundowntheSpanishinsur-
gents.Allisdark,exceptforalargeboxlanternthatillumi-
natesthesoldiers’humantargetsandbrilliantlyemphasizes
thedark-hairedman,dressedinastarkwhitepeasantshirt
andmutedyellowpants.
The painting also appears modern through its subject
matter,asifitwereajournalist’ssnapshotofaneventworth
remembering.Thereisanimmediacyandpersonalitytothe
painting, as if Goya had actually been there as a witness of
Frenchretaliation.Itisallthrownintheviewer’sface,with
a no-holds-barred realism. It is brutal and direct, with “no
The Second of May and The Third of May 125
rhetoric, no contrived symbolism, no traditional pictorial
formula, no stale studio atmosphere.”110 This painting will
cometosymbolizethenewartoftheearlynineteenthcen-
tury, born in a world where change was demanded, where
liberalism was bound to replace absolutism, and where the
Enlightenmentwastobechallengedbynotanotherpolitical
revoltbutarevolutionformedaroundfeelingsomething.It
would be called the Romantic Rebellion—and Goya would
beoneofitsfounders.
10
House of the
Deaf Man
The war might have been over, but Spain was in a catastrophic
state. Spaniards, including Goya, soon understood they
had merely changed a foreign dictator, Joseph Bonaparte,
for a domestic one, Ferdinand VII. Ferdinand gathered
all power around him, persecuting Spanish liberals and
those who had been loyal to France, the afrancesados (the
Frenchified).(SomeofGoya’smorecontroversial,political
canvaseshadtobehiddenfromroyaleyesintheAcademyof
San Fernando. They would remain there until Ferdinand’s
death in 1833.) Anyone who might have aided or cooper-
ated with the French was considered suspect. Even though
Goya was “cleared of all suspicion of collaboration,”111
Ferdinanddidnottrusthim.Yetheallowedthegreatpainter
to continue to paint. It was at this time that Goya painted
a famous work, Portrait of General Don Jose de Palafox on
Horseback.
126
House of the Deaf Man 127
tHe aGiNG artist
AlthoughGoyawasapproaching70years,hehadlostnoneof
hissparkforlifeanditspossibilities.Aself-portrait,paintedin
1815,revealsaGoyawhoisstillvibrant,feisty,andpainting
asboldlyasever.After1815,hewaspaintingfewerandfewer
works in the Spanish court, just an occasional portrait. He
paintedeverythingbychoice,includingaseriesofbullfighting
pictures. He seemed untouchable, as if no one could change
orcontrolhim.By1816,hisetchings, The Caprices,wereput
backonsaletothepublic. Goyahadworkedlongenoughasa
painterbythenthathefoundhimselfpaintingportraitsofthe
childrenofearliersubjects,suchasthesonanddaughterofthe
dukeandduchessofOsuna.Healsopaintedpicturesofsaints
fortheCathedralofSeville.
By1819,hemovedtoacountryvilla,acrosstheManzanares
RiverfromMadrid,nearthemeadowofSanIsidro,whichhe
hadmemorializedinpaintyearsearlier.(Thehousenextdoor
toGoya’swasknownas,ironically,theQuintadelSordo,or
HouseoftheDeafMan.Afterhisdeath,itwasGoya’shome
thatwouldberememberedasthefamousQuintadelSordo.)
Goya’shousehad22acresoffarmlandandwasasolid,pink-
and-white brick and adobe structure. He paid 60,000 reales
incashforthehouse.Thatsameyear,atage73,Goyabegan
workingwithanewmeansofprinting,lithography,whichhad
hardly existed even a generation. It was a method that Goya
enjoyed because it was quicker and less labor intensive than
old-styleetching.
Along with the move came a woman and child. She was
LeocadiaZorilladeWeiss,andlittleisknownabouther.Byall
accounts, she was an attractive woman, perhaps in her early
thirties.ShehadbeenpreviouslymarriedtoaGerman-Jewish
jewelerwholivedinMadridbutfromwhomshewasdivorced.
Their marriage had produced two sons. Dona Leocadia was
anextremelydistant“relative”ofthewomanthatGoya’sson,
Xavier, married. When Goya and Dona Leocadia became
friends is not known. In 1819, her daughter, Rosario, was
128 FRANCISCO GOyA
fiveyearsold,andrumorsclaimedthatGoyawasherfather.
Maybehewas,butnorealevidenceexiststoproveordisprove
the claim. It was clear to those around Goya that “he loved
herasifshewerehisown.”112 OfallthethingsLeocadiawas
knownforatthetime,itwasforhersharptongue.Yethow
much could this have mattered to the aged and otherwise
lonelyGoya?Hewasdeaf.
As the years passed, Spain began to put its war with the
French behind her, yet the spirit of revolution continued to
boilintheheartsoftheSpanish.Anewcampaignforconstitu-
tionarosewithafervor,forcingFerdinandtobringbackthe
1812constitutionhehaddestroyedonlyfiveyearsearlier.This
liberalchangegreatlylimitedtheSpanishmonarch’spower.By
1822,theFrenchreturnedtoSpain,thistimetosupportthe
Spanishmonarch,notreplacehim.Bysummer1823,thearmy
ofconstitutionalsupportershadbeendefeated,andFerdinand
onceagainruledwithanironfist,takingouthisrevengeonall
whohadchallengedorbetrayedhim.
As for Goya, the previous years of conflict, political
intrigues, invasion, war, civil war, rebellion, and liberalism
werefinallybeginningtotaketheirtollonhim.For30years,
dating back to the French Revolution, he had seen tragedy
and suffering, the triumph of dictatorship, and the crushing
ofliberalism.Hewaslosinghisfaithinhuma
nity.Hecameto
believethatmanwasinherentlyevilanddestructiveandthat
life was absurd and everything was folly. Wanting to protest
against the failures of his world, the painter was driven to
create a series of works so morbid, depressing, faithless, and
existential,theywouldcometobeknownas pinturas negras,
“theblackpaintings.”
tHe BLaCK paiNtiNGs
AfrustratedanddisenchantedGoyapaintedthesedarkworks
on the walls of his farmhouse outside Madrid between 1820
and1823.Theyreveal,perhapsmorethananyotherworkshe
ever produced, the artist’s detachment and disappointment
House of the Deaf Man 129
The uncertain symbolism of Goya’s “black paintings” is apparent in his bizarre work,
Fantastic Vision. It is unclear who the two flying people are, or more importantly, what they represent. What is the rider pointing to, and at what is the red-cloaked figure looking back at? Perhaps only Goya himself knew the answers to such questions.
with the ways of the modern world. He painted them only
for himself, with no intentions of showing them to anyone.
Obviously, by not producing them on canvas or as etchings
but rather on the walls of his home reveals that he “never
expectedhispaintingstobedisplayedinpublic.”113 Theywere
his ownprivatehell.
Yet the works would not remain private. The two-story
house had a large rectangular room on each floor, measur-
ingroughly14(4.3m)feetby26feet(7.9m),alongwithtwo
additional, smaller rooms. Goya would produce his “black
paintings” in the larger room on each floor. They were still
onthewallsofhishomeduringthelate1860s,40yearsafter
hisdeath.By1873,thehousewaspurchasedbyabaronwho
removed the paintings and placed them on canvas. Later,
theyweredisplayedpubliclyforthefirsttimeinParisatthe
130 FRANCISCO GOyA
UniversalExpositionof1878.In1881,theirownerdelivered
the works to the Spanish government, and they were soon
installed in the Prado Museum where they remain today. It
was at the Universal Exposition that several late nineteenth-
century impressionists viewed them and thought them the
works of a man ahead of his time. Many, however, thought
themlittlemorethantheworkofanabsolutemadman.
Thesubjectsofthe“blackpaintings”wereoftenshrouded
in symbolism and mystery. Others were direct and disturb-
ing. Fantastic Vision has been interpreted as a magical scene
depictingtwopeopleflyingofftowardalargerockdominated
byacastleandvillage.Yetthestrangepaintingmayhavebeen
asymbolofruinedlivesofmanySpanishliberalsfollowingthe
return of Ferdinand to power. These political outcasts often
fledtoGibraltar,the“rock”inthepainting,toavoidpersecu-
tion. Another work, Fight with Cudgels focuses on two male
giants thrashing at one another while standing knee-deep in
a dimly lit wheat field. Some have interpreted the work as
depictingAdamandEve’seldestsons,CainandAbel.Others
viewitasametaphorofthecivilwarinSpainthathadrecently
rackedGoya’shomeland.
Thenthereisthepictureofthebiblicalfigure, Judith,who,
according to the Old Testament, seduced and then killed an
enemy general by cutting off his head. The painting is com-
prisedwithshadesofthicklypaintedgraysandchalkywhites,
thedim-facedJudithraisingherweapontothesky,preparing
tostrikeadeathblow.Itissimilartotwentieth-centuryworks
createdbyPabloPicasso,revealingthatGoyawasproducing
art beyond his own time. Other works were more macabre
anddarkandcertainlywouldhavelandedGoyaintroubleif
knowntothepublic.Onesuchpaintingwouldlaterbetitled
(Goya did not title any of these dark works) The Witches’
Sabbath.Itisahorrific,phantasmagoricwork,withthedark
silhouetteofadevilishgoatfiguredominatingthecenterofthe
painting while surrounded by the ghastly shapes of witches.
House of the Deaf Man 131
YetitisnotthegoatthatGoyameansasthefocusofthework:
itisinsteadlikelyheintendedthattobethefrighteningfaces
ofthewitchesthemselves.Again,thisisaworkproducedby
broadimpressionisticbrushstrokes.
On the wall opposite The Witches’ Sabbath was a work
knowntodayas Pilgrimage of St. Isidore.Despiteitsreligious
title,thepaintingdepictshorrible-lookingpeople,perhapspil-
grims,whoaremovingacrossadark,starklandscape,stacked
upon one another. Once again, the faces of the pilgrims tell
thestoryGoyaintended:thattheemotionalismofthemasses
isbrutal,shortsighted,anddestructive.Ithasnoconnectionto
theindividualwillortherationalthoughtoftheintrospective.
Allischaosandmindlessfolly.
Yet for all the ghastly scenes found amid Goya’s “black
paintings,”themostlurid,disquieting,andbrutallycharged
is Saturn Devouring a Son. The painting drew the anger of
Englishartistandcritic,P.G.Hamerton,whowasdrivenby
rage to write: “Of all these things the most horrible is the
Saturn.Heisdevouringoneofhischildrenwiththevoracity
of a famished wolf, and not a detail of the disgusting feast
is spared you. The figure is a real inspiration, as original
as it is terrific, and not a cold product of mere calculating
design.”114 The subject matter of the grotesque painting,
whichshowsawild-eyed,long-haired,nakedmalefigureeat-
ingthebloodiedbodyofoneofhisyoung(theheadandright
arm have already been eaten off and Saturn is tearing with
his teeth at the left arm) was one from Roman mythology.
The Roman god Saturn, who wanted to reign without fear
andchallenge,madecertainofhisfuturepowerbydevour-
ing his own children. The work is so straight-forward and
unblinking,itdisgustsandspellbindsatthesametime.The
“son”inthepaintingissmall,almostdoll-like,forthebody
isnotachild’sbutadiminutiveversionofanadult’sform.
That form is not of a male, however, but “a fragile female
body.”115 Here,inthispainting,theviewergainsaninsight
into“Goya’sowndemoniacalinnerworld.”116
132 FRANCISCO GOyA
Goya’s The Milkmaid of Bordeaux, painted when the master was 81 years
old, marks the end of the artist’s brilliant, innovative, and passionate
career. Even in failed health, Goya’s sketchy brushwork and light tones
create a new direction in the world of art. Many critics credit Milkmaid as
being a precursor to the French impressionism that began in the 1860s.
a NeW HOme iN BOrDe
aUX
By1823,anelderly,tiredGoyamadeanimportantdecision.
ConcernedabouthisownsafetyintheSpanishcourtandin
Spainingeneral,hehandedhisHouseoftheDeafManover
House of the Deaf Man 133
tohis17-year-oldgrandson,Mariano,andmadepreparations
to leave his homeland. By spring the following year, Goya
requestedpermissionfromthecourttogotoFrance,claiming
heneededtotakeinthehotspringsatPlombières,insouthern
France, for his health, “as his doctors have advised him.”117
The king granted permission almost immediately. Yet Goya
never went to Plombières. He went to Bordeaux, which he
reachedonJune24.Bordeauxhadbecomeacityofexilefor
severalofGoya’sfriendsduringthepreviousdecadesofwar,
invasion, and political intrigue, including Godoy’s former
wife,theduchessofChinchon;PepitaTudo,hisnaked maja;
andthedukesofSanFernandoandSanCarlos.
In Bordeaux, he was received into the house of an old
friend, Leandro Moratin, a poet and playwright, who noted
that Goya appeared to him, “deaf, old, feeble, weak, not
knowingawordofFrench,butsohappyandeagertoseethe
world.”118 ThatGoyawastiredisclear.Hewasamanofthe
world,aworldthathadseenmuchchaos,violence,andblood.
The elderly Spaniard was seeking shelter from the storms of
lifeaswellas“releasefromconcernwiththeworldofpolitical
andsocialintrigue,releasefromthedemandsofpatronsand
theimportuningsofacquaintances.”119
YetGoyadidnotremaininBordeauxlong.Withindays
ofhisarrival,hewasofftoParis,wherehearrivedonJune
20,1824.Thegreatpainterhadbecomeatouristinaforeign
land. There is no record of Goya’s reactions to the French
capital, but he did find the time to paint another bullfight
picture and a pair of portraits of another friend, Joaquin
MariaFerrer,andhiswife.Healsocompletedastraightfor-
wardself-portraitwithpenandinkinwhichtheartistwears
asimplecapandcoat,appearingaslittlemorethanaweary
traveler.Alightseemstohavegoneout.
GoyareturnedtoBordeauxbySeptemberandsoonsettled