ARTH 298 - Impossible Monsters: Goya as Painter and Printemaker

Impossible Monsters: Goya as Painter and Printmaker is an in-depth study of the life and work of a single artist, Francisco José de Goya y Lucientes, who ranks among the most influential painters/printmakers in the history of art. In a rich series of astonishing works (Wheaton owns four of his prints), this brilliant Spanish artist plumbed the depths of human misery in images so real and yet so bizarre that the term “Social Fantastic” was coined for them. Goya’s penchant for portraying a universe of isolation, brutality and anxiety effected an intense change on aspects of modern art. We will scrutinize his impact on Picasso, for example, and identify how Goya’s work evolved as a painstaking criticism of outdated Spanish institutions as well as his critique of Spain’s invasion by Napoleon. From his technical innovations, which revolutionized the production of etchings and lithography (a “young” art form at the time) to his astounding portraits and historical/allegorical paintings, Goya’s art and insight were phenomenal – eerily modern and relevant even today.

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