A journey through the art of Goya, testing 3 of his works:
- Spain, Time and History, Stockholm
- The Time, Truth and History, Boston
- Portrait of Fernando VII, Santander. Goya
develops the theme of Spain, so now provided in three allegories deeply political content:
Allegory of the 1812 Constitution
Title: Spain, Time and History, 1812-14
Author: Francisco José de Goya y Lucientes
Museum: National Museum in Stockholm
Features: Oil on canvas 294 x 244 cm.
is not very common that Goya painted allegorical scenes, although they made some throughout his career. His most known as a portrait makes these images take more value for their originality. On a hazy background are three figures: the time - with wings spread - to Spain brings to the fore, while with his left hand holds an hourglass with the superior blister filled to indicate that a new era begins, Spain, dressed in white, with a pronounced cleavage, carries in her right hand a little book - the Constitution of Cadiz of 1812 - and left a scepter, suggesting the superiority of the Constitution on the monarch's power, in the foreground is the History, naked to be also the image of Truth, noting the event while treading the old legal texts of a bygone era. Goya reveals its liberal character openly, without any subterfuge, pinning their hopes on the Constitutional text which broke with the old regime and inaugurated liberal Spain. Unfortunately, Fernando VII did not apply and the famous "Pepa" - so called because the Constitution was promulgated on March 19, 1812, the feast of San José - fell on deaf ears. Although the theme of the work is to use dyes neoclassical allegorical figures, the style to which Goya used is characteristic of the years of the War of Independence - see the balcony Majas -. In this style there is an interesting color contrast, the strokes are very fast without worrying about the details and light bathes the figures used to produce a feeling reminiscent of Velázquez air. The way of working of Aragon is demonstrating its peculiar evolution to a completely personal style that will have little support among members of the aristocracy, which elected as new portrait of Vicente López.
Time, Truth and History
Title: Time, Truth and History, 1797-99
Author: Francisco José de Goya y Lucientes
Museum: Museum of Boston
Features: Oil on canvas 41 ' 6 x 32'6 cm.
Goya is a painter of allegories rather than realities. It is therefore surprising that among his works we find an allegory concerning the Truth, Time and History. By 1797 made this sketch here look at that three figures are nude. Truth stands, the time with wings and an hourglass in hand, writing down facts of history in his book. The fast and secure brush touches a composition characterized in that light also plays an important role. The final painting has little change in the posture of the figures, although he is standing wearing a low cut dress elegant and History and the Time cover with folded cloths around their waists. To hold the figure of Truth a book in his right hand has been identified with Spain in the final picture, dated between 1812 and 1814 and replacing the title by Spain, Time and History. Why Goya painted a preparatory sketch 15 years before the final canvas? Is the date wrong box Stockholm? Are you in this sketch of the scenes of "fad" that Goya painted in the last years of the eighteenth century? It is difficult to answer these questions with the limited existing data. Juliet Wilson-Bareau quite rightly suggests that this could be an allegory of Jovellanos on appointment as Minister of Grace and Justice in November 1797. Jovellanos was subsequently removed so the allegorical picture may be suspended. In 1812 Goya recover the idea to celebrate the arrival of constitutionalism.
Portrait of Ferdinand VII
Title: Portrait of Fernando VII, 1814
Author: Francisco José de Goya y Lucientes
Museum: Museum of Fine Arts (No. Cat. 0001), Santander
Features: Oil on canvas 205 x 123 cm
In 1814, the City Council instructs Santander " a good teacher "carrying a portrait of Fernando VII. The assignment falls on Goya, who paid for his conduct eight thousand reales. The portrait function was to preside over the City Council Chamber, being displayed in certain celebrations from the balcony of Town Hall. Over time, the painting was forgotten, so much so that for many years out of the brush was considered an imitator of Aragon. It was the Spaniard Joaquín González Ibaseta painter (? -1925) Who saw the hand of Goya's portrait, a point discussed by letter Aureliano de Beruete (cf. The Bay of Biscay, of April 3, 1903). On October 30, 1948 was transferred permanently to the Museum of Santander where today is displayed along with the facsimile reproduction of the documentation of the assignment, acceptance and delivery receipt, which embody the signatures of the artist and the then mayor of the Vial Juan Nepomuceno city.
City Council issues a number of conditions set out in the document of assignment: "It must be the canvas of seven feet tall by the width provided. The portrait will be front and body whole, the Colonel of the Guards dress with royal insignia. Shall have his hand on the pedestal of a statue of Spain and will be crowned with laurel in this pedestal the scepter, crown and mantle, the foot a lion in the clutches broken chains. " It seems likely that local authorities draw up these conditions from the iconography of the portrait of Carlos IV, attributed by Bernardo Urrea Martinez del Barranco, now in the gallery also exhibits Santander. In this portrait of Carlos IV, King of the whole body appears, is accompanied by a seated female figure-allegory of Spain-accommodated on a castle or fortress that serves as a pedestal to the left of the monarch are placed the scepter and crown, and feet, a lion of fierce countenance, two globes, and the Pillars of Hercules.
To carry out the portrait, Goya is it possibly a record made in 1808, preserved in the Musée d'Agen (France) and faithfully follows the iconographic patterns that mark the Town Hall. Fernando VII Length appears in the uniform of Colonel of the Guards Corps, with red sash at the waist sash of the Order of Carlos III, several awards (the Golden Fleece, Order of Carlos III) and the regulatory sword. Support your left arm on the pedestal that supports the allegory of Spain crowned with laurel. To the left of the monarch are located the scepter, the crown and two blankets, one red and ermine. Above these is seen a mysterious object, a kind of transparent vault that garnished something like a stone. At the foot a tame lion lies down with a chain between the claws on the floor, lie several broken links. Is an example of consistent realism and maturity in the work of the Aragonese: brash styling, fashion, contrast between the figure of King and background, rich, vibrant red, blue and white; wise modulation of blacks, scattered green mottle emeralds, subtle shimmer, ease, in short, the technical treatment.
Over time, the work has undergone several restorations. In February 1876, Francisco Pedraja comes to the arrangement of frame and canvas. In August 1947, Jerome Seisdedos done cleaning. In March 1979, Macaroni is responsible under the frame, add borders and sense of color. And between July and September 1994, Clara and Henry Quintana Quintanilla (Museo del Prado) make a general cleaning and fixing, along with the elimination of the black background repaint. Following the successful restoration
1994, have surfaced two telling sweeps wear or shed more iconographic data. The first of these sweeps is located in the left arm of the allegorical figure, showing the possible elimination of a scepter, the course index finger certainly appears broken and most of the arm is not suited to the pictorial qualities of Goya. The other wear is situated on King's head as a result of deleting a laurel crown (this assessment report coincides with the restoration of 1994), possibly crown him the king was placed on the right hand hidden in the same allegorical figure. These deletions should be made in a time very close to the delivery of the portrait.
iconographic elements, visible and deleted, give rise to a series of reasonable doubt in its interpretation, a key point in the reading of the portrait. In this reading, have not lost sight of the various historical events that occurred in Spain with the arrival of Fernando VII to Madrid (May 1814): abolition of the Constitution of 1812, repeal of the decrees of the Parliament, reinstatement of the Inquisition, the disappearance of freedom of the press ... A real coup based on a cruel persecution and crush the liberal regime. If, according to the preserved documentation signed receipt Goya's portrait collection in December 1814, after having taken in their implementation fortnight events contrary to absolutist thinking of the artist are held before the municipal application. On the other hand, also known as Goya was to avoid any suspicion of French influence, though in his heart procedure would not give up their ideals.
However, returning the portrait of Ferdinand VII, we see a duality in the figures of King and the allegory of Spain: origin are provided with two identical attributes, the laurel crown and scepter. The fact that the female figure appeared with a possible deletion-scepter today indicates that we are, at the origin of the portrait to the allegory of constitutional Spain Spain rather than the absolute, confirmed today the removal of this element. Coincide, therefore, with different opinions expressed on the central female figure of Goya's work entitled Spain, Time and History, the Museum of Stockholm (regarding the interpretation) see eg 1982 or exhibition catalog López Torrijos, 1996. This painting, also titled The adoption of the constitution of 1812 in Spain (exhibition catalog, 1812, pp. 82-83) and The Time, Truth and Spain (exhibition catalog 1994-1995, pp. 130 - 131), seems to relate directly to the portrait of Fernando VII in their allegorical figures of Spain, as already discussed.
Also in the museum canvas Santander, Spain's allegory appears smiling and topless, showing up in mother constitutional origin of the English people that gentle, kind, confident, crowns the King with his right hand. The laurel wreath eliminated Fernando VII would think a clear repentance, presence or absence of an ideological argument against absolutism execrable. Deleted laurel crown and scepter cleared constitutional, given the new political situation, the alleged ideological balance returns to the portrait.
On the other hand, the representation of the lion, according to municipal given accurate - "to walk a lion with broken chains in the grip" - seems to demonstrate the release of the English people following the expulsion of the French troops.
remain in the picture other details subject to identification and interpretation: the mysterious object on the rod and the crown, and face in the medallion on the pedestal. The latter could be identified, in an easy and superficial, with the figure of Hercules, given the direction of their gaze to the lion (Nemea) and the nearby presence of chains (liberation at the hands of Cerberus Busiris or concatenation), with suspected reference to the Pillars of Hercules found in the portrait of Carlos IV of Martínez del Barranco del Museo de Santander, above. Remote and hardly defensible hypothesis.
The above interpretations may give the Fernando VII de Goya rich content of political and ideological. And Goya is that he could dictate the iconography, but his brilliant and complex personality could hardly be subject to external dictates when to give them content.
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