Francisco Jose de Goya y Lucientes (1746-1828) is known best for his paintings and prints. He began the study of art at age fourteen (1760), he was and so talented that he was able to set up his own studio in 1763. Goya was mentored by Ramon Bayeu y Subias, then at the Royal Tapestry Factory in Madrid to design tapestries for the El Escorial and El Prado palaces of King Charles III. The King’s painter Raphael Mengs invited Goya to become a principal designer at the Royal Tapestry works in 1774. He received the much sought-after position of principal designer in 1776. Goya was just 30 years old. His first commission was to complete the series Bayeu y Subias that had begun a few years earlier. Goya worked at the Royal Tapestry Factory from 1775 until 1792, and produced 63 cartoons. Cartoons were painted as guides for the weaving of tapestries.
Goya’s first commission came from the Prince and Princess of Asturias, later King Charles IV and Queen Maria Luisa de Parma, for the dining room at El Escorial Palace. They wanted bright and colorful tapestries of everyday life in Spain. Goya presented the idea for “The Parasol” in 1775, the year he arrived at the Factory. He first presented small sketches and then a full-scale cartoon. “The Parasol” (1777) (41” x 60”) (oil on linen) is the final design for the weavers. A fashionably dressed woman, in a blue, yellow, and white silk gown in the latest French style, is relaxing on the ground. Wearing red flowers in her hair, she holds a fan. Her black dog rests comfortably in her lap. Behind her, a Majo (poor person of the period) holds a green parasol to provide shade. Standing with his hand on his hip, he seems slightly discontent. It is a sunny day, but gray clouds are on the horizon. A tree blows in the wind. Goya’s painting anticipates a storm might be brewing.
The Majas were the lower class of Spanish society, particularly in Madrid. They defied the popular French style of clothing worn by the rich, and instead wore traditional Spanish garb that they elevated with elaborate decoration. They were well known for their shameless behavior and their flirtatious manner. They Majas were one of Goya’s favorite subjects. “The Dance of the Majas on the Banks of the Manzanares” (1777) (8.9’ x 9.67’) (oil on linen) depicts the Sequidillas, a popular country dance accompanied by a guitar. They laugh and talk, and generally enjoy themselves on the river bank. The Majas’ (females) dresses are decorated with Spanish lace and embroidery, and their hair is covered with netting. The Majos (males), wearing bright colored and decorated jackets, knee britches, and hair nets, exuberantly point their toes in the dance. Across the river at the right is a country house, and in the distant background are the towers of buildings in Madrid. Goya has again placed a wind-blown tree against a cloudy blue sky. He was quite familiar with this setting since it was not far from La Quinta de Sorto, a house and land he purchased in 1819.
During his tenure as principal designer, Goya developed seven series of cartoons on themes including the seasons, hunting, and the ages of man. Each finished cartoon was the same size as the tapestry. “The Parasol” (3’5’’ x 5’) was placed over a window in the dining room. The size of “The Dance of the Majas on the Banks of the Manzanares” (8.9’ x 9.67’), indicates it was to be hung on a wall. “Boy on a Ram” (1786-87) (50’’ x 40’’) was a smaller panel that would hang above a door. This cartoon was part of a series Goya created about the ages of man, or the passage of time. The young boy wears the fashionable skeleton suit, a high waisted and tight-fitting jacket buttoned to high-waisted trousers. Made of a festive orange and black striped fabric, the suit is decorated with a white lace color and cuffs, and complemented by a wide orange sash.
The boy rides on a ram, the sign of Aries, recognized as the beginning of the first months of spring, March and April. The tapestry represents both youth and the coming of spring. The sky is blue and the trees are leafing out in a variety of greens.
“The Straw Manikin” (1791-92) (8.75’ x 5.25’) is from the seventh and last suite of Goya cartoons, and it was the last cartoon Goya designed. Four colorfully dressed Majas playfully toss a manikin high into the air. The rosy-cheeked Majas smile and enjoy their game in a fresh green landscape of lawn and trees. The life-sized male manikin is totally helpless, its arms and legs hang twisted in impossible positions. Goya calls the viewer’s attention to the manikin’s facial expression by accentuating his very round rosy pink cheeks. The yellow blanket, placed at a diagonal, draws the viewer into the composition and contrasts with the deep black shadow it casts on the ground. A mass of dark gray clouds cut diagonally across the blue sky, signaling a storm is coming.
Goya had experienced 18 years at the Spanish court beginning with the enlightened and kindly King Charles III, who reigned from 1759 until 1788. The reign of King Charles IV, from 1788 until 1808, brought corruption and disaster. All Europe witnessed the success of the American revolution of 1776, and France was in the middle its Revolution of 1789. Goya became Painter to the King in 1786 and court painter in 1789, providing him intimate knowledge of the unscrupulous behavior of the Spanish court. His royal portraits frequently depicted subtle hints of decay. His series of prints contain sarcastic and ironic images. The dark clouds and the hapless male manikin at the very least record Goya’s observations of what strong-minded women could do to weak men. Many of his royal portraits depict Queen Marie Luisa, a determined and arrogant woman who dominated her hapless husband Charles IV.
Blanket tossing was often thought of as a harmless game, often played at carnivals in Europe. However, in Cervantes’ book Don Quixote de La Mancha, published in 1605 and 1615, Sancho Panza is roughly tossed in a blanket by thugs. They are doing it to make fun of him and to torment him. Sancho is incensed at this treatment, a carnival game usually played with dogs.
Goya’s cartoons were carefully stored in the basement of the Royal Tapestry Factory. Most of the cartoons were moved in 1858 to the basement of El Escorial. They were rediscovered in 1870 and taken to El Prado. A catalog was published in 1876. Throughout his life, Goya remained a consummate observer of human nature and produced a body of work that viewers today can enjoy. His work depicts the pleasure and beauty of the world, also its dark and destructive side.
Beverly Hall Smith was a professor of art history for 40 years. Since retiring with her husband Kurt to Chestertown in 2014, she has taught art history classes at WC-ALL. She is also an artist whose work is sometimes in exhibitions at Chestertown RiverArts and she paints sets for the Garfield Center for the Arts.
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