Francisco de Goya's Los Caprichos series

Francisco de Goya's Los Caprichos series

On display from 17 Aug 2012 till 30 Sep 2012 at the Tweed River Art Gallery , Murwillumbah is Francisco de Goya's Los Caprichos series.

Francisco José de Goya y Lucientes (30 March 1746–16 April 1828), Goya was born in Fuendetodos, Aragón, Spain and died in France in 1828.At age 14, Goya studied under the painter José Luzán. He moved to Madrid where he studied with Anton Raphael Mengs, a painter who was popular with Spanish royalty He studied with Francisco Bayeu y Subías and his painting began to show signs of the delicate tonalities for which he became famous.

painter of designs to be woven by the Royal Tapestry Factory

In 1789 he was made court painter to Charles IV and in 1799 he was appointed First Court Painter

Goya bravely expressed his feelings through painting and graphic art. Los Caprichos, his first series of etchings, clearly shows his willingness to record the world as he really saw it, with all its horror, tragedy and ugliness

At some time between late 1792 and early 1793, a serious illness (the exact nature of which is not known), left Goya deaf, and he became withdrawn and introspective. During his recuperation, he undertook a series of experimental paintings. His experimental art— which would encompass paintings, drawings as well as a bitter series of aquatinted etchings.

Goya is best known for creating images critical of changes in the world around him. His later work famously recorded scenes of violence and destruction during the Napoleonic wars and openly commented on social injustice and senseless cruelty within Spanish society

Los Caprichos is a set of 80 aquatint prints created by the Spanish artist Francisco Goya in 1797 and 1798, and published as an album in 1799 copper plate. These small prints draw the view in closer , they display perfect registration and the mastery of Goya's precises mark making and technique.

The prints in Los Caprichos contain imagery of animals, beasts and monsters in a variety of comical, melancholy and sometimes disturbing compositions. Donkeys, parrots, bats, goblins, devils and witches not only illustrate the extremes of Goya''s imagination but symbolise his observations of the darker themes of human behaviour in 18th Century Spanish society.

The prints were an artistic experiment: a medium for Goya's condemnation of the universal follies and foolishness in the Spanish society in which he lived. The criticisms are far-ranging and acidic; he speaks against the predominance of superstition, the ignorance and inabilities of the various members of the ruling class, pedagogical short-comings, marital mistakes and the decline of rationality. Some of the prints have anticlerical themes.

set out to document the human condition and denounce social abuses, social backwardness and ignorance and intellectual oppression.

Goya described them as "the innumerable foibles and follies to be found in any civilized society, and from the common prejudices and deceitful practices which custom, ignorance, or self-interest have made usual"

The Tweed River Art Gallery had displayed goya's artwork in a long , climate controlled, hallway .

Comfortable seating is provided The prints themselves have black framing which compliments the imagery and atmosphere against the stark white walls of the gallery space. Information regarding the exhibition is readily available , pamphlets and large plaques about the techniques and history behind the prints are found alongside the prints. This space is dimly lit , with subtle lights shone down apon the prints which are hung at eye level , creating a dark, intimate atmosphere.

The Tweed river art gallery has successfully gone to great lengths to present Goya's Los Caprichos series.

Tweed River Art Gallery Director, Susi Muddiman says:

“For many viewers, these works may seem bizarre, puzzling or uncomfortable to look at, but without a doubt they will stimulate imagination and reflection. It is an honour for the Gallery to be able to host this exhibition of world famous images.”