timelines

1746 - Francisco José de Goya y Lucientes was born in Fuendetodos in Spain. He grew up under the reign of King Ferdinand VI during a period of Enlightenment.

When Goya was thirteen years old, another enlightened king called Charles III ruled Spain. The year thereafter, Goya studied art under the painter, José Luzán Martínez.

Goya grew up, and developed his artistic practice, in an environment of Enlightenment values. This self-portrait was completed when Goya was a young man, between 19 and 24 years old.

Goya was a talented, ambitious artist, but didn’t yet have the recognition he was craving. He entered a drawing competition at the Real Academia des Bellas Artes in San Fernando twice, and failed both times! But he didn’t give up.

Goya joined the studio of painting brothers Francisco and Ramón Bayeu y Subías , which was established in 1763. Francisco Subías was also the lead painter of the Spanish court. This was Goya’s breakthrough into the art industry - Francisco arranged a job for him at the royal tapestry factory, where he completed 63 cartoons. These aren’t the cartoons you’d watch on TV - a cartoon is a painting that weavers would copy when making a tapestry. It wasn’t the most glamorous job, but it brought more attention to Goya’s work.

In 1780, Goya finally became a member of the Academy and the commissions started pouring in! With the spotlight on Goya, more and more people of the Spanish aristocracy began commissioning him for portraits. A commission is when someone pays an artist to create an artwork for them.

Goya painted the who’s who of the Spanish nobility and earned big bucks. In 1790, Charles IV appointed him as First Court Painter.

Things were on the up and up for Goya. He was in high demand as a portrait painter, and even claimed that everyone in court knew him, from the king downwards.

But tragedy struck in 1793, when he became sick with an unknown illness that cause him much psychological distress and made him become permanently deaf. It took many years for him to return to painting and printmaking. Unable to paint commissions, he began experimenting with his artmaking style and technique.

In 1807, Napoleon’s army invaded Spain, and occupied the country for seven years. The Spaniards suffered under the French regime, and violence, assault and famine was commonplace.

Goya kept his job as court painter, and remained neutral about the conflict. He visited war zones across Madrid, and completed the Disasters of War series during this time, although it was only published 30 years after his death.

After the French were expelled from the country, another disastrous government took control of Spain. In 1819, Goya purchased a home outside Madrid, called Quinta del Sordo (coincidentally named House of the Deaf Man, after its previous owner, who was also deaf). During this period, he had another bout of illness.

Having suffered two life-threatening illnesses, and having lived through the Napoleonic wars, Goya was stressed out with feelings of anxiety, life and death.

In 1826, Goya resigned as court painter, but continued to paint and make prints. He moved to Bordeaux, in France, where he spent the remainder of his life. He died in 1828.