Abstract

The ideas of the Enlightenment (first of all the French, with the most famous of its representatives – Jean-Jacques Rousseau, Charles-Louis de Secondat, Baron de La Brède et de Montesquieu and François-Marie Arouet Voltaire) not only influenced the political sphere of the Eighteenth century but also art. Francisco José de Goya y Lucientes (1746-1828) was directly convinced by these ideas: he took a passive part in the Napoleonic wars and was a friend of the prominent representatives of the Spanish Enlightenment. The study aims at analyzing interactions between text and image in the series of etchings of F. Goya “The Disasters of War” and the reception of the idea of «common good» in the etching 71 “Against the common good”. We have chosen several theoretical and methodological tools to deal with narrative and visual sources. Hermeneutics and semiotics belong to the specific methods used in the process of analysis of engravings. Comprehensive approach is determined by the usage of F. Goya both extraverbial and verbal (double numbers of etchings and artionims, ekfrasis) means. The methodological basis of the study is made up wit the principles of complexity, historicism and scientific character. The main methods were iconographic and iconological; empirical, prosopographical, method of synthetic and analytical source criticism; comparative-historical analysis. Probably, Francisco Goya, who also criticized the contemporary obscurantism in Spain (which is especially reflected in the series of etchings “Los Caprichos”), turned to the ideas of the French enlightenment, which gave rise to possibly unconscious reminiscences and allusions in his work. Thus, we are interested mainly how Goya indirectly or even unconsciously borrowed ideas from the Enlightenment movement, which spread rapidly all over Europe. In this case studying direct borrowings from J.-J. Rousseau’s ideas played only minor role.

Highlights

  • Ідея загального блага у серії офортів “Лихоліття війни” (“Los desastres de la guerra”) Франсіско Гойї

  • Francisco José de Goya-i-Lucientes (1746-1828) was inspired by these ideas: he took a passive part in the Napoleonic wars1 and was close to the prominent representatives of the Spanish Enlightenment

  • Comparing the notion of “the common good”, which popped out in the titles of engravings with their plot enable us to follow the artist’s attitude to specific historical circumstances. In this way we can explore his attitude towards the struggle for power between Charles IV, Ferdinand, Mary Louise and Manuel Godoy, the invasion of the French troops in Spain in 1808, attempts to enthrone of Joseph Bonaparte, favored by the Spanish intellectuals; desolation and famine in Spain (Bouvier 2011, p. 1108) etc

Read more

Summary

MODERN AND CONTEMPORARY ART

IDEA OF COMMON GOOD (EL BIEN GENERAL) IN THE SERIES OF ETCHINGS “THE DISASTERS OF WAR” (“LOS DESASTRES DE LA GUERRA”) BY FRANCISCO GOYA These notions play a major role in Goya’s etching “Against the common good”, where he depicts the devil, who creates unfair (according to the above-mentioned notions) laws against to the people’s good. The series of etchings "The Disasters of War" confirms vividly the statement of the English poet Alexander Pope (1688-1744) – “The proper study of mankind is man” Both Enlightenment and historical context pushed Francisco Goya towards invention of his specific artistic language, which focused on the nature and essence of humankind. Goya’s artistic innovation and his special artistic language, which placed the nature and essence of human with its complex organization, to the center of attention, having opened the pure breath of a new era in the "black" engravings

Shevchenko National
Список джерел та літератури
University Press
University of Leicester
Full Text
Published version (Free)

Talk to us

Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have

Schedule a call