Unraveling the Headspace of an Artist: Francisco de Goya
One of my greatest passions is learning about the visual arts. I could give so many reasons as to why art in general intrigues me and keeps me coming back to it. So much so, that I have two degrees that allowed me to learn about art for six years of my life. I would like to examine one of the reasons I’m so fascinated by art with this piece and that is: what is the artist thinking about when creating their artworks through the aid of analyzing artworks by Francisco de Goya.
Francisco de Goya’s artworks have captivated its viewers since the 18th century due to the way he chooses to depict his subjects. One of his arguably most famous works is Saturn Devouring One of His Sons (1821-1823). I remember the first time I saw this image in an art history class, and the intense reaction I had to it. It was like witnessing a car crash. I desperately wanted to look away, but I just couldn’t. I felt disturbed, but I just could not look away. The artwork is beautifully disturbing. In the work, we see Saturn as grotesquely enormous and it appears as if he has turned into a monster. Saturn is eating a bloodied arm of his headless son. The background is in complete darkness to reflect the gravity of the scene presented to the viewer. The most perturbing aspect of the artwork is Saturn’s crazed eyes, conveying just how far gone he is from his sanity. When the professor finally shifted to a new slide, I felt relieved.
Many of his other artworks have morbid and disturbing content, which leads one to believe that Goya was at least fascinated by, if not inspired by the macabre. As Goya has been gone for centuries, one can only hazard guesses as to his relationships with and his thoughts regarding his artworks. I mean, if I had such an emotional response from only viewing the artwork, he had to have some feelings when creating it, right?
Saturn Devouring One of His Sons (1821-1823) was painted on the dark walls of his home along with many other equally disturbing artworks of his creation. So, Goya was not only creating this kind of content, but he was choosing these artworks to live with. That really sets a certain mood for your living space. It’s one thing to stand in front of these kinds of artworks in a museum for a few minutes or even an hour or so, but to have to see them day in and out really makes one think about the state of Goya’s psyche. Perhaps he became desensitized to the subjects of his artworks, but it's a bit disconcerting to think that these were the types of images that he was choosing to see all day, everyday. And it could be that I’m putting too much weight on my own thoughts and experiences, but living in a space with that kind of imagery would put me in a dark place.
Does the space that we live in actually have an affect on our wellbeing? Studies indicate that yes, they do, and in a profound way. According to an article titled, “The Power of Place: The Design of a Building Can Help People Heal,” Ken Budd interviews Dr. Esther Sternberg, the author of Healing Spaces: the Science of Space and Well-being. The article illuminates how surgery patients heal based on their environment in the hospital. It shares that if a patient is recovering in a room with an outdoor view with plants, then the patient is likely to heal faster than patients who have a view of a brick wall. Dr. Sternberg explains the theory of how the mind reacts to different environments. One is more likely to heal with an environment with lots of light, and with the accompaniment with plants and social interaction. If one is a period of stress and does not have these positive factors in their environment, then your environment will only contribute more to this stress which could lead to sickness.* (If you are interested in learning more about Dr. Esther Sternberg and her research on healing spaces or a PDF version of this article I would encourage you to visit her website.)
If this theory is accurate as studies have shown, then our dear Francisco was probably living with a great deal of internal torment that he reflected in the dark artworks that he created for his home. It is well known that Goya’s life was not devoid of hardships, unfortunately. During his lifetime, his native country of Spain was impacted with harrowing war, which Goya depicted in his paintings The Second of May 1808 and in the infamous The Third of May 1808. These paintings capture the dark truths of the Peninsular War. Also noteworthy, Goya contracted a disease which left him deaf causing him to push himself away from the public.** Perhaps due to these factors and those unknown, Goya withdrew into a dark place causing him to create such disturbing artworks that he chose to live with.
As people, some of us are drawn to the macabre like Goya seemingly was. This can be an explanation for why artists like himself were so influential. We also see this artistic influence in Edgar Allen Poe, William Shakespeare, and more recently with works by Stephen King. Since we have this morbid curiosity with dark art, what does this say about our own psyches? Does it say anything at all? Are we intrigued by these disturbing subjects because it resonates with how we feel on the inside or because it is foreign to us? It could be both.
We even have a whole holiday devoted to the grotesque, Halloween. I have to admit, this is my favorite holiday. Maybe people love this holiday so much, because for a few days we can let down some of our walls and be free to express some of the dark parts of ourselves without fear of judgment. Then, the next day, most of us go back to living our non-sinister lives.
In his life, Goya depicted many subjects in his works of art; many with no hint of morbidity. Nevertheless, these are not the artworks that he is well-known for or have had such influences on audiences even today.
Goya clearly could not hide this sinister version of himself, as is evident through his artworks later in life. Perhaps, he just didn’t want to have any guards up in his home where he was free to be himself. It is impossible to really know the type of headspace that Goya was in while creating his artworks, one can only speculate. But the subjects certainly leave audiences wondering. It's almost impossible not to hypothesize.
Near the end of Goya’s life, he moved away from this home and his dark artworks. Perhaps, in part, desiring a new type of environment. As we have learned from the aid of Dr. Sternberg’s research, if we are dealing with stress or even depression, then we should try to incorporate her suggestions. Buy a house plant (or a few)! Apparently they remind us of nature and theories indicate that nice views expel endorphins in our brain. Or, try to create stimuli in your environment that encourage social interactions. Most importantly, keep your environment light (hearted). This has the power to do wonders for our wellbeing.
Writer’s note: I have chosen not to include images of the artworks described in this essay due to their disturbing nature and I would like to keep the visuals on this website on the light side.
*Budd, K. (n.d.). The Power of Place: The Design of a Building Can Help People Heal. Retrieved October 01, 2020, from https://esthersternberg.com/site/wp-content/uploads/The-Power-of-Place.pdf
**Francisco Goya Biography, Life & Quotes. (n.d.). Retrieved October 01, 2020, from https://www.theartstory.org/artist/goya-francisco/life-and-legacy/
Further resources:
https://esthersternberg.com/site/wp-content/uploads/The-Power-of-Place.pdf
https://www.theartstory.org/artist/goya-francisco/life-and-legacy/
