Francisco Goya

1746-1828

Francisco Goya (1746–1828) rose from modest beginnings in Fuendetodos to become Spain's greatest painter and one of the most influential artists in Western history. After training under José Luzán and studying the Renaissance masters in Rome, he built a distinguished career as a court painter, appointed to Charles III in 1786 and Charles IV in 1789. In 1793, a severe illness left him deaf, after which his work grew darker and more visionary. During Spain's Peninsular War against Napoleon, he created paintings like The Third of May 1808 that exposed the brutality of conflict. His late period culminated in the Black Paintings (1819–1823), haunting murals applied directly to the walls of his house. Goya's prints—the Caprichos, Disasters of War, and others—rank among the most powerful in art history. He spent his final years in exile in Bordeaux, where he died at 82.