Goya: Images of Women - Hardcover

Tomlinson, Janis

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0300094930 ISBN 13: 9780300094930

Publisher: Yale University Press, 2002

Synopsis

Francisco Goya y Lucientes (1746–1828) created magnificent paintings, tapestry designs, prints, and drawings over the course of his long and productive career. Women frequently appeared as the subjects of Goya’s works, from his brilliantly painted cartoons for the Royal Tapestry Factory to his stunning portraits of some of the most powerful women in Madrid. This groundbreaking book is the first to examine the representations of women within Goya’s multifaceted art, and in so doing, it sheds new light on the evolution of his artistic creativity as well as on the roles assumed by women in late eighteenth- and early nineteenth-century Spain.

Many of Goya’s most famous works are featured and explicated in this beautifully designed and produced book. The artist’s famous tapestry cartoons are included, along with the tapestries woven after them for the royal palaces of the Prado and the Escorial. Goya’s infamous Naked Maja and Clothed Maja are also highlighted, with a discussion on whether these works were painted at the same time and how they might have originally hung in relation to one another. Focus is also placed on Goya’s more experimental prints and drawings, in which the artist depicted women alternatively as targets of satire, of sympathy, or of admiration. Essays by eminent authorities provide a historical and cultural context for Goya’s work, including a discussion on the significance of fashion and dress during the period. The resultant volume is surely to be treasured by all who admire Goya’s art and by those who are interested in women’s issues of his time.

Published in association with the National Gallery of Art, Washington

About this title

About the Author

Janis A. Tomlinson is director of Arts in the Academy, the National Academy of Sciences, Washington, D.C.

Reviews

The great Spanish painter Francisco Goya y Lucientes (1746-1828) always portrayed his female subjects with emotional depth whether they were the witches of his infamously dark era of painting or the strikingly powerful creatures of the courts and salons of late 18th- and early 19th-century Madrid. Edited by Tomlinson, director of Arts at the Academy at the National Academy of Sciences, this well-produced volume of 180 images is divided into two sections. The first offers thematic essays by art authorities discussing the historical and cultural context of Goya's works featuring recognizable models, such as that aristocrat with attitude, the Duchess de Alba. Among the most fascinating essays is Aileen Ribeiro's "Fashioning the Feminine: Dress in Goya's Portraits of Women," which explores the political symbols in dress and fashion during the period. Ribeiro sheds light on numerous accentuating props in Goya's portraits, including the mantilla (a shawl covering both head and shoulders). The latter half of the book, which also includes Goya's tapestries, cartoons, drawings, and prints, serves as a catalog for the eponymous exhibit at the National Gallery of Art in Washington this spring. While not as extensive and analytical as Fred Licht's recent coverage of the artist's entire oeuvre in Goya, this book allows us to study women's roles during the era. Highly recommended for all libraries looking for complete coverage of Goya. Adriana Lopez, "Criticas"
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

Women have such a significant presence in Goya's life and work. Tomlinson and her international cast of contributors easily filled this substantial, lustrous, and unprecedented treatise with his striking portraits of women and in-depth discussions of various aspects of his fascination. Five essays combine fluent biographical accounts with shrewd aesthetic analysis to reveal not only what women meant to Goya but also how Goya's unique portraits fit into the continuum of portraiture and how they reflect the nature of women's lives during these violent and tumultuous times. The finely reproduced and mesmerizing catalogue presents commissioned works such as tapestry cartoons and official portraits, as well as Goya's probing personal creations, which run the gamut from sensual to nightmarish. Tomlinson's meticulous book succeeds in its mission: it awakens a new sense of awe for Goya's virtuosity and humanity. Donna Seaman
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Edition details

• Publisher: Yale University Press
• Publication date: 2002
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0300094930
• ISBN 13: 9780300094930
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 368
• Editor: Tomlinson Ms. Janis A.