Saturn Devouring One of His Sons
7:00 AM |
| Francisco de Goya, Saturn Devouring One of His Sons, 1819-1823 |
By CARLY HOFMANN
Francisco de Goya's work defies any standard stylistic classification. His art cannot be separated from the conflicting social and political upheavals of late eighteenth century Spain. Goya assumed the role of a moralist and believed that his art could censure society's vices even more forcefully than any form of eloquence or poetry. He understood art as an opportunity to expose the eye of the viewer to thoughts and attitudes previously hidden within impassioned and unenlightened minds. He shared the enlightenment opposition to religious fanaticism, social injustice, and senseless cruelty. However, as with many others, his faith in the power of reason to solve human and artistic problems ended in disillusionment.
In January of 1890, Goya witnessed a liberal victory in Spain that forced Ferdinand VII to accept the constitution. Goya's response to constitutional freedom is demonstrated in the fourteen "Black Paintings" that he executed on the walls of his country home. In the paintings of his so-called black period, he explored the dark and terrifying world of the subconscious. It was understood that evil could no longer to be attributed to the devil, but to humanity itself.
In Saturn Devouring One of His Sons, Goya accentuates the blood and gore of ancient Roman myths as a cure for the glamor and opulence of neoclassicist idealism. Goya depicts Saturn feasting upon one of his sons, with the head and the right arm already consumed. As the titan looms from the darkness, the only brightness in the painting comes from the bulging eyes of Saturn, the sickly flesh and red blood on the child, and the white knuckles of Saturn as he clutches the body. There is evidence that this painting may have originally portrayed the titan with an erect penis. The feminine curvature of the corpse combined with this possibility denotes a disturbing sexuality.
Francisco de Goya's work defies any standard stylistic classification. His art cannot be separated from the conflicting social and political upheavals of late eighteenth century Spain. Goya assumed the role of a moralist and believed that his art could censure society's vices even more forcefully than any form of eloquence or poetry. He understood art as an opportunity to expose the eye of the viewer to thoughts and attitudes previously hidden within impassioned and unenlightened minds. He shared the enlightenment opposition to religious fanaticism, social injustice, and senseless cruelty. However, as with many others, his faith in the power of reason to solve human and artistic problems ended in disillusionment.
In January of 1890, Goya witnessed a liberal victory in Spain that forced Ferdinand VII to accept the constitution. Goya's response to constitutional freedom is demonstrated in the fourteen "Black Paintings" that he executed on the walls of his country home. In the paintings of his so-called black period, he explored the dark and terrifying world of the subconscious. It was understood that evil could no longer to be attributed to the devil, but to humanity itself.
In Saturn Devouring One of His Sons, Goya accentuates the blood and gore of ancient Roman myths as a cure for the glamor and opulence of neoclassicist idealism. Goya depicts Saturn feasting upon one of his sons, with the head and the right arm already consumed. As the titan looms from the darkness, the only brightness in the painting comes from the bulging eyes of Saturn, the sickly flesh and red blood on the child, and the white knuckles of Saturn as he clutches the body. There is evidence that this painting may have originally portrayed the titan with an erect penis. The feminine curvature of the corpse combined with this possibility denotes a disturbing sexuality.
Various interpretations of the painting exist among critics. Some point to the conflict between youth and age, time as a devourer of all things, or the wrath of God. However, the most likely explanation of Goya's imagery is the painting as an allegory for the situation in Spain, where the fatherland has consumed its own children in wars and revolution.
Goya moved to France when the Spanish monarchy was reinstated and critics began to understand his works as projecting evils of a past when truth and reason ruled alone. This interpretation provided further evidence that if not formally a liberal, Goya believed in constitutional government and the freedoms it ensured. Goya famously said, "Imagination abandoned by reason produces impossible monsters, but united with her, she is the mother of the arts and source of their wonders."
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