Customer Reviews

Goya

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Francisco Goya (1746-1828) is to my mind one top 10 painters in the history of art. Much of his later work is confronting, difficult, startlingly modern and unforgivingly realistic. It is said that the darkness of his mature style (a bit like Beethoven's) was influenced by severe hearing loss (after a bout of cholera in 1792) and mental instability (possibly resultant from encephalitis). It took me some years to fully appreciate Goya's greatness and it is understandable that neophytes to some if his art find it superficially unattractive.

In his preface to this volume, Fred Licht states that "This book is not a monograph but a series of investigations of those aspects of Goya's art that makes him specially pertinent to our times." Whatever Licht's aims might be, I can strongly recommend the book as an excellent overview of the artist's life and creative output. The eminently readable text is perceptive, informative and scholarly. Additionally this large and weighty book has 276 excellently reproduced examples of Goya's paintings, drawings and etchings. This includes some related works by other artists.

Goya enthusiasts might care to investigate 2 further books on the subject; Robert Hughes's "Goya" and "Goya and the Spirit of Enlightenment"(National Gallery Washington).

I have always loved Goya, so buying unseen off the internet was less of a risk. The book is a bit oversized without the advantage this often gives, as the layout leaves a lot to be desired, and visually, this has the feel of a mass market book. However, the paintings are stunning and reasonably reproduced, and being a thick book, the selection is pretty representative, and include the prints. The text is also readable. Worth buying as I am not aware of any other book of this size in print at present.

I needed a good picture of The Executions of May 3rd, which I was painting for a class. I had no idea which art book to buy, but finally selected Professor Licht's book hoping to get a good picture out of it for my painting. The executions reproduction takes up two pages, but that is of no importance.

Other art students may agree that many art history books tend to be tedious reading. Professor Licht is not only a great art historian, he can actually write, and gives us deep insight into Goya, a painter he has clearly sought to understand. The quality of the reproductions is excellent, and the scholarship and brilliance of the author was more than I could have hoped.

I started reading the book immediately upon receiving it, and couldn't put it down. It reads like an engrossing novel, and gives us Goya in depth, a man who worked out his devils and convictions on canvas. Of course Goya was a genius whose works transcend time. However, Professor Licht helped me to understand Goya and his works in a cultural context and his ties to his predecessors, contemporaries, and modern artists. I was deeply moved by this book, and I know you will be too.

This is a great book for the art student and those who just have a basic knowledge of art. I was curious about the artist Goya after reading History of Spain and seeing the movie Goya's Ghost. I have only a basic knowledge of art but apreciated this book for several reasons.
The book breaks down the different types of paintings Goya did and it compares with other similiar types of art from other famous artists. It would be a great book for an art student and someone who wants to learn about techniques and styles of painting.