Curated Video
Two Old Men and Restoration of Francisco Goya's Black Paintings
It is impossible to know for sure who is depicted in Goya's Black Paintings, but there is evidence to suggest that the man in Two Old Men is Goya himself. Goya was a great admirer of the painter Diego Velázquez and this painting closely...
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Francisco Goya's Third of May Painting
On May 2nd, 1808, Spanish citizens rose up against the occupying French forces. The next day, the French struck back at dawn. Hundreds of Spanish citizens were rounded up and shot. When Ferdinand VII regained power, Goya requested...
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Political and Personal Struggle in Francisco Goya's Paintings
In the early 1800s, the French invaded Spain and overthrew Ferdinand VII. Goya initially supported the French invasion, hoping they would restore democracy and end the inquisition but the reality of living through war affected Goya...
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Allegories of State Violence and Tribalism in Francisco Goya's Black Paintings
Judith and Holofernes depicts a story from the Bible in which Judith and her maidservant behead the tyrant Holofernes. By removing the peripheral iconographies and focusing only on the violent action, Goya brings this story into his own...
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Overview of the Disasters of War Series by Francisco Goya
Francisco Goya's series of aquatint prints, The Disasters of War are hard to look at. Rather than focus on the bombastics of usual war art, he depicts the suffering of regular people - the starving, assaults, executions. He does not...
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Francisco Goya's Death and Legacy
At age 78, Francisco Goya left Spain to start over in France. Four years later, he died there. Goya was a radical artist who was passionate about truth. He went from a painter in the Royal Court to the chronicler of catastrophe during...
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La Leocadia, Francisco Goya's Mistress
La Leocadia, also known as The Seductress, is likely one of Goya's last paintings. It is painted on a light background, unlike the dark background of the rest of the Black Paintings. The woman in the painting bears a striking resemblance...
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The Etching Technique of Francisco Goya
Francisco Goya's series of aquatint prints, Los Caprichos and The Disasters of War (Los desastres de la guerra) has long been recognized as one of the supreme monuments of European art. How did Goya create these complex aquatint tones?...
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Comparing Francisco Goya's Women Laughing and Men Reading
Women Laughing depticts a risqué scene, unusual for the reserved and somewhat prudish Goya. The style and composition of this painting closely resembles Men Reading, which was painted next to Women Laughing on Goya's wall. Could the...
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Francisco Goya's Los Caprichos Prints
What happens when reason or rationality is asleep and superstitious beliefs take over from science and reason? Francisco Goya explores this and other Enlightenment topics in his Los Caprichos series of aquatint prints. One of the most...
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Why is the Background of the Mona Lisa Unique?
Leonardo da Vinci's understanding of the natural world and the forces that shape it influenced every aspect of his artwork, from the foreground to the background. Learn how aerial perspective and the horizon line create the illusion of...
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Mona Lisa del Giocondo
In 1550, art historian Giorgio Vasari noted in his book on Renaissance artwork that, "Leonardo undertook to execute, for Francesco del Giocondo, the portrait of Mona Lisa, his wife." But there was dispute about Mona Lisa's true identity...
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Power and Dispair in Goya's paintings: Asmodea, Saturn, and The Drowning Dog
The Black Paintings series by Francisco Goya is dark and haunting overall, but a few of the paintings are particularly grim. We will explore themes of war and fear, the horror of power, and helplessness as we analyze the last three...
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How Francisco Goya uses Mythology as Symbolism for Personal Struggle in the Altropos Painting
Altropos (The Fates) is Francisco Goya's interpretation of the myth of the Moirai, the three sisters who decide the life and death of mortals. He added in a fourth, male figure in his painting and a baby. The sisters inspect the thread...
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Theories Behind Francisco Goya's Black Paintings
The Black Paintings (Las pinturas negras) are often considered to deptic insanity and Goya's own struggles after losing his hearing. But is that an accurate understanding of these paintings? What is the context of the The Black...
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Mona Lisa: the Universal Portrait
Leonardo da Vinci once said that "art is never finished, just abandoned." Art, science, and the natural world were not separate subjects for da Vinci. He was a man who never stopped learning and it seems fitting that we never seem to...
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What Technique and Materials Did da Vinci Use to Create the Mona Lisa?
Why do Mona Lisa's eyes seem to be looking at us, no matter where we stand? The answer has to do with a set of meticulous artistic choices that da Vinci used for this portrait. Learn how Leonardo da Vinci used the verdaccio, chiaroscuro,...
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The Mona Lisa: Introduction to the Painting and the Painter
Leonardo da Vinci was a prolific artist and scientist. His intricate anatomical illustrations informed the structure of his most famous painting - the Mona Lisa. It is a painting of an ordinary woman that has inspired extraordinary...
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Who Stole the Mona Lisa?
In 1911, the Mona Lisa was stolen from the Louvre. The theft drew more attention to the portrait at the same time that photography brought copies of the image to people all around the world. This surely raised the Mona Lisa's popularity,...
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What is Mona Lisa Wearing?
Or rather, what is she not wearing? Mona Lisa's simple clothing and lack of jewelry ensure that viewers focus on the face, rather than her clothing. How many copies were made of the Mona Lisa? Learn how Leonardo da Vinci used the...
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Class Disparity and Gluttony in Francisco Goya's Two Old Men Eating Soup
Two Old Men Eating Soup, also sometimes called The Witches, is one of the best preserved Black Paintings. It is a small painting that hung above Goya's kitchen doorway. This may be another depiction of the have versus have nots theme...
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History and Style of Francisco Goya's Black Paintings
Francisco Goya created The Black Paintings on the walls of his secluded farmhouse, far from the eyes and politics of Madrid. The fact that he created these 14 paintings as frescos rather than the usual canvas and oil paint indicates that...
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Francisco Goya: From Light to the Dark Paintings
Francisco José de Goya y Lucientes began working as a court painter for King Charles III of Spain in 1786. He painted mainly portriats and was well-known for his romantic style. His artistic style turned darker, however, when his health...
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Mona Lisa's Eyes and Intricacies of Her Smile
Leonardo da Vinci spent a lot of time dissecting cadavers and studying the structure of muscles in the body. He had a particular interest in how emotions are translated into expression using the facial muscles. He was also interested in...