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Fritz Agency
Christian Dittus
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English

GOYA

Janis A. Tomlinson

A Portrait of the Artist

The life of Francisco Goya (1746–1828) coincided with an age of transformation in Spanish history that brought upheavals in the country's politics and at the court which Goya served, changes in society, the devastation of the Iberian Peninsula in the war against Napoleon, and an ensuing period of political instability. In this revelatory biography, Janis Tomlinson draws on a wide range of documents - —including letters, court papers, and a sketchbook used by Goya in the early years of his career - to provide a nuanced portrait of a complex and multifaceted painter and printmaker, whose art is synonymous with compelling images of the people, events, and social revolution that defined his life and era.

Tomlinson challenges the popular image of the artist as an isolated figure obsessed with darkness and death, showing how Goya's likeability and ambition contributed to his success at court, and offering new perspectives on his youth, rich family life, extensive travels, and lifelong friendships. She explores the full breadth of his imagery—from scenes inspired by life in Madrid to visions of worlds without reason, from royal portraits to the atrocities of war. She sheds light on the artist's personal trials, including the deaths of six children and the onset of deafness in middle age, but also reconsiders the conventional interpretation of Goya's late years as a period of disillusion, viewing them instead as years of liberated artistic invention, most famously in the murals on the walls of his country house, popularly known as the “black” paintings.

A monumental achievement, Goya: A Portrait of the Artist is the definitive biography of an artist whose faith in his art and his genius inspired paintings, drawings, prints, and frescoes that continue to captivate, challenge, and surprise us two centuries later.

Janis A. Tomlinson has written and lectured extensively on the art of Goya.
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Published 2020-09-01 by Princeton University Press

Comments

"Tomlinson's meticulous distillation of a voluminous number of parish records, drawings, notes, and letters is impressive, and her knowledge of and passion for Goya continually shine through in her writing, making for a fascinating and insightful reading experience. A top-notch biography." (starred review) Read more...

"The best book on Goya, a perennially fascinating yet startlingly modern old master." —William E. Wallace, author of Michelangelo, God's Architect "Janis Tomlinson has given us an impressively comprehensive and beautifully written study of Goya's life and works. It ranks as one of the best and most detailed of the many Goya books ever written." —Anthony J. Cascardi, author of Ideologies of History in the Spanish Golden Age "In this authoritative and lucid biography, Janis Tomlinson brings her own compassionate insight into the personal paradoxes of this towering figure within a brilliant cast of supporting characters. Coming from her lifelong engagement with Goya and depth of knowledge of his tumultuous epoch, Tomlinson's book will stand as the definitive biography for our time." —Susan Grace Galassi, Curator Emerita, The Frick Collection "An outstanding biography. Tomlinson has a profound knowledge of Goya and an excellent grasp of the relevant literature, and this informs her nuanced reading of the artist's life." —Mark McDonald, author of Renaissance to Goya: Prints and Drawings from Spain "A masterful achievement. Tomlinson's biography of Goya unfolds lovingly, with flair and detail, gathering friends, mentors, and family into the story while revealing new information about the artist's works and the context in which he created them." —David T. Gies, editor of Dieciocho and The Cambridge History of Spanish Literature

"In this biography of the last of Spain's old masters, Tomlinson views Francisco Goya y Lucientes (1746–1828) within the context of his age and challenges the conventional interpretation of his late years as a period of disillusion."