Francisco Goya
Goya moved to Madrid to study with painter Anton Raphael Mengs, the apprenticeship did not end well with Goya being denied entry to the Royal Academy of Fine Art.
A later apprenticeship, with Francisco Bayeu y Subias was more successful and Goya went on to paint the portraits of numerous royals including the Duke and Duchess of Osuna and the Count of Floridblanca.
The darker tone of Goya's later painting is commonly thought to be related to a nasty bout of Cholera in 1792 which left him deaf.
During this time he became deeply fascinated with the French Revolution, an interest that resulted in the series of etchings 'Caprichos'.
The Peninsular War in the early eighteen hundreds was to further influence his work leading to a series of paintings called 'The Disasters of War'.
The death of his wife was to further influence the dark tones of these paintings.
Goya's work became yet more dark and increasingly surreal with 'The Black Paintings', these paintings were created whilst Goya was isolated in a country house near the Manzanares river.
The themes of these paintings range from death to insanity and they have lost none of their power over the years.
Goya passed away at the age of 82 in Bordeaux.
His remains were moved to the Royal Chapel of St.
Anthony of La Florida in central Madrid in 1919.
They can still be found there today.
Conveniently Madrid still houses many of Goya's most iconic works and is also his final resting place.
The Prado is the most famous museum in the city and houses many of the artist's most important work as well as numerous other iconic paintings.
More obscure works can be found in the basilica of San Francisco el Grande, where an altarpiece by Goya sits alongside works by other 18th century artists.
A later apprenticeship, with Francisco Bayeu y Subias was more successful and Goya went on to paint the portraits of numerous royals including the Duke and Duchess of Osuna and the Count of Floridblanca.
The darker tone of Goya's later painting is commonly thought to be related to a nasty bout of Cholera in 1792 which left him deaf.
During this time he became deeply fascinated with the French Revolution, an interest that resulted in the series of etchings 'Caprichos'.
The Peninsular War in the early eighteen hundreds was to further influence his work leading to a series of paintings called 'The Disasters of War'.
The death of his wife was to further influence the dark tones of these paintings.
Goya's work became yet more dark and increasingly surreal with 'The Black Paintings', these paintings were created whilst Goya was isolated in a country house near the Manzanares river.
The themes of these paintings range from death to insanity and they have lost none of their power over the years.
Goya passed away at the age of 82 in Bordeaux.
His remains were moved to the Royal Chapel of St.
Anthony of La Florida in central Madrid in 1919.
They can still be found there today.
Conveniently Madrid still houses many of Goya's most iconic works and is also his final resting place.
The Prado is the most famous museum in the city and houses many of the artist's most important work as well as numerous other iconic paintings.
More obscure works can be found in the basilica of San Francisco el Grande, where an altarpiece by Goya sits alongside works by other 18th century artists.
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