Francisco José de Goya y Lucientes is a notable Spanish
artist. In Goya's early years as an artist he painted religious and royal family
portraits. These are the types of
paintings one would expect from a career-artist of Goya's time. However, when Goya got into
his later years and was inflicted by some sickness or poisoning which scholars
are still unsure of, he began painting his dark series. The entire dark series was painted on the walls of his farmhouse. He was not commissioned or working by anyone else's terms, so these paintings were completely his own expression. Goya painted Saturn (the
Greek god of carnage) Devouring One of
His Children on the walls of his private farmhouse. This death inspired painting is one of the most recognizable of his dark series.
This painting was designed while Goya's health was declining
and he was approaching an inevitable death. With his intimacy with death,
Goya's understanding of it was enhanced. Through this work, he expresses the
value of human life compared to a God's. The lack human life's value is
not true only when compared against gods but also when humans are considered by
themselves. Life isn't of high value; life is taken for several reasons on a
day to day basis whether it be by murder, age, or illness. Death is a common
occurrence, and this image reminds the audience of that reality.
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