GOYA / HUGHES

The Third of May 1808 in Madrid
Francisco Goya

• Ask and answer 1 question about Goya that directly relates to his artmaking.

1. What do Goya's artwork reveal about the world around him?

        In the beginning of Goya's career, his paintings revealed great technical skills, and he was one to please his clients. He would depict many people in power, and would make good money as the most famous painter in Spain. He revealed that at that time, you needed to "paint what was necessary to prove yourself" in the art world. The art world was very critical of what was considered good art, and in order to show his talents, Goya stuck to the rules for a while. However, later on in his career, after he had fallen ill, he became deaf and there was a switch in the way he created his art. He became very dark in his subject matter, and used unsettling light to evoke feelings of horror. There was a demonic vibe to his work, and this work was a way for him to sort of fight those demons that he had within him. I think that this really revealed how the world around Goya had turned into his psychosis taking over. There was no more following the rules, and he revealed his feelings in his work, which was not typical of the time. He broke the boundaries of what art was "supposed to" look like. 

• Ask and answer 1 question about Hughes' film.

2. How does Hughes' film compare and contrast from Schama's? 

        Hughes' film was very different from any that we have seen so far this semester, and definitely different than Schama's. I thought it was very interesting how Hughes used some reenactment, analysis of paintings, artifacts and visits to different destinations, as well as thorough narration and interviews to tell Goya's story. Schama is very thorough in his narration, and there is reenactment, but what I thought was intriguing about Hughes' film was the use of different destinations, combined with interviews to present information about Goya. I have said in the past that I don't really care for the extra interviews within the films, however, the way that Hughes went about them was different. I loved how he went to go meet with people who took him on tours of places that Goya's art was, as well as Goya's childhood home. I also thought it was beneficial that he interviewed another artist that dealt with subject matter like Goya's dark paintings. I think it would have been interesting to see more reenactment like what is present in Schama's films, but overall I thought that Hughes' films was one of the more interesting ones we have watched this semester. 

• Ask and answer 1 question about the relationship between Hughes' film and Goya's paintings.

3. How does Hughes' film represent Goya and his paintings? 

        Hughes' film represents Goya and his paintings in a very positive way. Hughes starts out by describing Goya's early success, and his success in being technical while completing commission after commission. Then he moves on to tell about Goya's struggles with illness, and facing his demons within his artwork. The way that Hughes told stories about Goy and his paintings made it seem like he was a man of honor. During that time, artists were judged heavily on their technical skills, and it was not typical to show such dark feelings in artwork, but this story of Goya paints him to be a type of hero when it comes to expression. The artist that Hughes interviews talks about how people had to paint "what was necessary to prove" themselves, and after Goya had proven himself, he was able to paint what was really on his mind. People were unsure about it and some of his works were rejected by society, but he was able to face these demons that he had through paint. The film also presented Goya as someone who was very interested in demons and witches, which were topics that were not really accepted in those times, and I think this shows how bold Goya was with his works. He was not afraid to fail in the eyes of people because he knows he has proven himself to them before. Overall, I thought this film made Goya's story pretty inspiring. 

Outside Sources:

“Francisco Goya.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, inc., 19 Feb. 2024, www.britannica.com/biography/Francisco-Goya.

Zappella, Christine, and Christine Zappella. “Francisco Goya, the Third of May, 1808.” Smarthistory Francisco Goya The Third of May 1808 Comments, smarthistory.org/goya-third-of-may-1808/. Accessed 25 Feb. 2024.