Francisco goya biography book

In this revelatory biography, Janis Tomlinson draws on a wide range of documents—including letters, court papers, and a sketchbook used by Goya in the early years of his career—to provide a nuanced portrait of a complex and multifaceted painter and printmaker, whose art is synonymous with compelling images of the people, events, and social revolution that defined his life and era.

She explores the full breadth of his imagery—from scenes inspired by life in Madrid to visions of worlds without reason, from royal portraits to the atrocities of war. A monumental achievement, Goya: A Portrait of the Artist is the definitive biography of an artist whose faith in his art and his genius inspired paintings, drawings, prints, and frescoes that continue to captivate, challenge, and surprise us two centuries later.

Loading interface About the author. Tomlinson 9 books 4 followers. Janis Angela Tomlinson has written and lectured extensively on the art of Goya. Wallace, author of Michelangelo, God's Architect "Janis Tomlinson has given us an impressively comprehensive and beautifully written study of Goya's life and works. It ranks as one of the best and most detailed of the many Goya books ever written.

Cascardi, author of Ideologies of History in the Spanish Golden Age "In this authoritative and lucid biography, Janis Tomlinson brings her own compassionate insight into the personal paradoxes of this towering figure within a brilliant cast of supporting characters. Coming from her lifelong engagement with Goya and depth of knowledge of his tumultuous epoch, Tomlinson's book will stand as the definitive biography for our time.

Tomlinson has a profound knowledge of Goya and an excellent grasp of the relevant literature, and this informs her nuanced reading of the artist's life. Tomlinson's biography of Goya unfolds lovingly, with flair and detail, gathering friends, mentors, and family into the story while revealing new information about the artist's works and the context in which he created them.

Your purchase has been completed. Your documents are now available to view. Cite this book. Tomlinson, Janis. Tomlinson, J. Goya: A Portrait of the Artist. Princeton: Princeton University Press. Princeton: Princeton University Press, She sheds light on the artist's personal trials, including the deaths of six children and the onset of deafness in middle age, but also reconsiders the conventional interpretation of Goya's late years as a period of disillusion, viewing them instead as years of liberated artistic invention, most famously in the murals on the walls of his country house, popularly known as the "black" paintings.

A monumental achievement, Goya: A Portrait of the Artist is the definitive biography of an artist whose faith in his art and his genius inspired paintings, drawings, prints, and frescoes that continue to captivate, challenge, and surprise us two centuries later. Janis A. Tomlinson has written and lectured extensively on the art of Goya.

Goya : A Portrait of the Artist. Janis Tomlinson. Triumphs of a Native Son. Of my invention. The Zaragoza Affair. He notes the date of his marriage, but most importantly, the names of six children born to him and to Josefa Bayeu from to —none of whom survived beyond childhood. The list was apparently written before the birth in of his sole surviving child Xavier.

This all becomes especially poignant when we flip more pages to find drawings in the hand s of a child or children, presumably the only surviving trace of them. This was a watershed, which lead to a great deal of new research on the many people mentioned by Goya; in the s two English translations one edited by Sarah Symmons , with translations by Philip Troutman; the other by Jaqueline Hara were published.

Goya also shares good news, such as the approval he received when he presented a group of tapestry cartoons to the king and crown prince and princess. When in Goya plans his return to Zaragoza to paint with his in-laws in the Basilica of El Pilar, Zapater helps with arrangements. Goya returns to Madrid, determined to make his way without Bayeu, and reports every step of the way to Zapater, while also conveying his frustrations and worries over his finances.

We trace the turn in his fortunes, as he reconciles with Bayeu, who in arranged for Goya to receive a salaried position as painter to the king. After , the tone changes. Now court painter, Goya is more introspective about his position, and aware of jealousies at court that threaten his standing with the king. In your own work, you have been keen to disentangle Goya from the retroactive projections of later admirers and to situate him in his own time.

A painting like The Colossus appears like an allegory of a land in crisis. His first chapter provides a concise introduction to the state of Spain immediately before the war. Esdaile offers an analysis of all the major battles, which might try the patience of non-experts, but which contextualises episodes of the war—such as the first and second sieges of Zaragoza—well known to Goya experts.

And, since you raise The Colossus, I do not think the painting is by Goya. Several years ago, I was misquoted, and a writer suggested I was persuaded to this opinion by the then curator of Goya at the Museo del Prado. To set the record straight, this was not the case. Five Books interviews are expensive to produce. If you're enjoying this interview, please support us by donating a small amount.

Francisco goya biography book

More recently, I included in the chronologies and lists mentioned above all firmly documented works. Another consideration: if this painting were to appear today on the art market, discovered in a private collection in Spain: would it be attributed to Goya? What accounts for this nimbleness in your view? Goya emerges as a very sociable person, and many influential people seem to have enjoyed his company.