The “Witness: Reality and Imagination in the Prints of Francisco Goya” Exhibit (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.A.)

 

The “Witness: Reality and Imagination in the Prints of Francisco Goya” Exhibit, opened last April 22, 2017 at the Philadelphia Museum of Art, presents visions of Spanish life from Francisco Goya, one of the greatest graphic artists of all time who, as court painter to four successive rulers of Spain, witnessed decades of political turmoil and social upheaval.  The show runs until September 6, 2017.

 

The “Witness: Reality and Imagination in the Prints of Francisco Goya” Exhibit

Unlike Goya’s commissioned paintings, his graphic works allowed him the freedom to explore a broad variety of themes such as the chaos of war to the spectacle of the bullfight as well as provocative subjects deemed unsuitable for his commissioned paintings such as superstition, prostitution, anticlerical satire, witchcraft, and political corruption. 

Among his greatest achievements were four series of etchings that chronicle the transformation of Spanish society and his own personal visions. Due to their eventual popularity and widespread impact, all four were published numerous times after his death and the museum is owns complete first-edition sets of each etching series as well as the Bulls of Bordeaux, his final suite of lithographs, selections of which are displayed in the exhibition.

 

Los Caprichos (The Caprices, 1799), Goya’s first major print series, critiques Spanish society by satirizing human folly and exposing institutional corruption.  The strikingly modern Los Desastres de la Guerra (The Disasters of War, 1810-1820) depicts the Napoleonic invasion and occupation of Spain (1808–14) and the repressive rule that followed the French defeat. 

La Tauromaquia (Bullfighting, 1816), capturing Goya’s passion for the art of bullfighting, recounts the history of bullfighting, from ancient Spaniards hunting wild bulls to professional matadors in the bullring. The prints also expose the brutality of this quintessentially Spanish sport, controversial even during the artist’s lifetime.

 

The surreal fantasies and unsettling scenes of the grotesque in the series Los Disparates (The Follies, ca. 1815-1823) offer a glimpse into Goya’s imagination. Here, Goya displays his interest in technical innovation, combining etched lines and gradations of aquatint tone to create surreal compositions that continue to fascinate viewers and scholars. Goya’s intentions for producing the series and the meaning of the dreamlike scenes remain a mystery. 

Goya was among the first to exploit the spontaneity and painterly qualities of lithography to full effect and, in series Bulls of Bordeaux, a magnificent suite of four grand lithographs produced in 1825, near the end of his life, Goya masterfully brings together technique and subject matter to capture the drama of the bullring.

 

This exhibition highlights prints from each of these series which show Goya’s remarkable ability to move between documentary realism and expressive invention.  Exploring the imagery and techniques that make Goya one of the greatest graphic artists of all time, it also highlights how Goya pushed the limits of printmaking to heighten the expressive effect of his subjects. 

Curators are Danielle Canter (The Margaret R. Mainwaring Curatorial Fellow in the Prints, Drawings, and Photographs department at the Philadelphia Museum of Art) and Shelley Langdale (Associate Curator of Prints and Drawings). 

Witness: Reality and Imagination in the Prints of Francisco Goya: Korman Galleries (120-123), Philadelphia Museum of Art, 2600 Benjamin Franklin Parkway, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19130. Tel: 215-763-8100. Website: www.philamuseum.org. Open Tuesdays- Sundays, 10 AM – 5 PM, Wednesday and Friday evenings until 8:45 PM. Admission: US$20 (adult), US$18 (seniors), US$14 (students with ID and youth 13 to 18). Children below 12 years old enter for free. Discounted tickets are available online. Tickets are valid for two consecutive days and include admission to the Rodin Museum.