Customer Reviews

Black Paintings of Goya

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If forced, by the proverbial gun to the head, to name the highlight of my two visits to the Prado, I would say Goya's "Black Paintings." By no means do I have an extensive background in the fine arts, either through second-hand study or first-hand experience at museums, but the Black Paintings is the most awesome (in the old sense of the word) set of art works I have ever encountered, and "Saturn" and "The Dog" are among the most powerful single images I have seen. To think that they were painted on the walls of Goya's private residence with, apparently, no intent that they be displayed publicly is mind-boggling.

Alas, this book, apparently the only book in English devoted solely to the Black Paintings currently available, is a major disappointment. The quality of the reproductions is only average (in particular, the colors seem to be somewhat washed out), and the precious little accompanying commentary is mediocre at best and appears to have been given a translation of comparably middling quality.

The only reason I give this as much as three stars is because the subject, the Black Paintings themselves, is such a monumental achievement of art and human genius.

So it may not be the most alternative book of the great Spanish artist Francisco Goya (1746-1828), but stile, for the while a very important one. This because he is the only book in the catalogue dedicated too the Black Paintings. Written by Spanish art historian Juan Jose Junquera, who recently claim that actually Goya did not paint the black paintings, but his own son. So it is an interesting saying, and also a refresh one. Still I believe that Goya and not any one else paint that madness exhibition.

In any way the present book by Jose Junquera is a fascinating one, and any one finding Goya late works interesting will be reworded to read at him. The book publisher, Scala made an excellent production. The front cover has I received (and not how it show in Amazon.Com) present the painting of Saturn, eating his child. An impressive way to start a journey into Goya mind. Eight chapters filled the book and through out the book there are many close up to the paintings. The book runs out at about 96 pages, not like Robert Houges well filled edition, for many the best certainly available on Goya. Still the book contains many details on Goya life and the paintings themselves so you will probably wouldn't fill there is something missing. Although the close details are very well presented there are still points I fill to disagree with them. Like the way Jose Junquera say to give meanings to couple of the paintings. To much pretentious for me but sourly not for all. Another important mention is the book size, and I would really wish the plates of every complete painting could be larger, maybe like the big close ups.

Still, an interesting study on Goya masterpiece exhibition, and at his low cost I believe you will be more then satisfied to having him.

I haven't bought this book, but I saw the paintings this week. Really affected me. So...black. Most of the subjects in the paintings have grotesque faces that are merely smudges of black, grey and silver, as if they were gargoyles that had been burned alive. With subjects sometimes grouped together, they composed "the mob" which Goya detested so much--from seeing mob atrocities from the Napoleonic-Spanish war. As disturbing as they are, they are painted in such a powerful manner that it was hard to turn away from them. Several of them lack real focus, as if Goya had grown so disgusted with humankind that it wasn't worth the effort to have his subjects actually doing anything. But he is at least painting for himself, not indulging the vanity of the Catholic Church or rich members and patrons of the Royal Family. So much artistic talent wasted during this period on overweight Dukes on horseback...