Blog #8

David (1748-1825) was a contemporary of Goya (1746- 1828). Both of them were the leading artists in their countries at that time. They both lived through the turbulent and changing time of French Revolution, the rise of Napoleon, and the restoration of monarchy. They lived to see their ideals, hopes and dreams vanished. In the end, they both spent their last years in exile.
How did they respond to the upheaval and confusing time?
For ten years, David had been banished and lived in Brussels before he died. He returned to mythological subjects and portraiture. He was not a propagandist anymore. His idealized hero, either Marat or Napoleon, had gone. He no longer included social and moral virtues in his works. His later works became more expressive and emotional. His color was brighter and richer , influenced by Flemish painting. As this piece, Mars disarmed by Venus and the three Graces, presented.

As for Goya, it was a rather different story.

Goya's early works were jovial and lighthearted. After Napoleon's invasion followed by mass executions, and the restoration of Spanish monarchy and the Inquisition, Goya's faith in humanity was crushed. He withdrew to an isolated house in a forest outside Madrid. His later works had a dark tonality, both in mood and color. This piece showed
the lt.side of a huge painting, A pilgrimage to San Isidro, which Goya painted on the wall of his simple house. He did it for himself, not intended to show those works to
the world. Disturbing and horrific, yet intensly powerful. He indeed is " the first of the moderns".