![]() ![]() In 1824 where he continued to paint and create prints. Disillusioned with life in Spain, Goya moved to Bordeaux. Both series were critiques on conflict and war. The various political and social conflicts facing in Spain during the early nineteenth century were reflected in various works, including ‘Disasters of War’ and ‘Black Paintings’. After losing much of his hearing in 1793, Goya’s work began to embrace bleaker and darker themes. Born in 1746 in the village of Fuendetodos, Goya began his formal study of art when he was 14. One of Spain’s most influential artists, Francisco Goya was a leading Spanish painter and printmaker during the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries. The paintings also attack superstition that dominated rural parts of Spain during the time, including beliefs of midnight gatherings of witches and apparitions of the devil. Goya used witchcraft in these and other paintings to protest values of the Spanish Inquisition, which included witch trails. For example, the quarter moon faces out and the goat extends his left rather than right hoof. More colourful than the version found in the ‘Black Paintings’ series, the ‘Witches’ Sabbath’ from 1789 shows invested symbols often used in witchcraft. The mix of young and old witches are sitting in a barren and darkened landscape that is only lit by moonlight. He is surrounded by a coven of witches, each disfigured. The oil on canvas shows the devil again in the form of a goat. The ‘Witches’ Sabbath’ in the ‘Black Paintings’ series follows a piece by the same name created by Goya in 1798. ![]() There was also major social and political change in Spain, and many pieces in the ‘Black Paintings’ reflect conflict that reflect the real-life battle between left and right forces. It was during this time that Goya experienced the hysteria and fear of Napoleon’s invasion of Spain and the Napoleonic Wars. The paintings also show Goya’s bleak view of humanity, which was heavily influenced by conflict during the early nineteenth century. They reflect the artists fear of insanity and relapse after suffering two brushes with serious illnesses, one of which left him deaf. The intense and haunting paintings of the ‘Black Paintings’ including the ‘Witches’ Sabbath’ reflect distressing themes and Goya’s personal view of humanity. They are now found in the Museo del Prado’s collection in Madrid. The mural were removed from the property in 1874 and transferred onto canvas. His hearing loss was caused by an unknown illness when he was 46, leaving him almost completely deaf. Named for its previous owner who was deaf, Goya also suffered from hearing loss when he moved to the villa in 1819. The ‘Witches’ Sabbath’ and the other works of the ‘Black Paintings’ were added to walls in dining and sitting rooms of the Quinta del Sordo (Deaf Man’s Villa). The ‘Black Paintings’, or Pinturas Negras’, were a series of fourteen fresco painted by Goya during the artist’s later years. The pieces’ visual aspects and their impact on modern art are often seen as a precursor to expressionism. Like other pieces in the ‘Black Paintings’, the ‘Witches’ Sabbath’ evokes nightmarish and pessimistic feelings. The witches and warlocks each have ghastly features and frightening expressions.Īmong the crowd is a lone girl dressed in black that seems to be resisting the Devil and the coven’s ritual. The Devil in the ‘Witches’ Sabbath’ is illustrated in black as a goat standing ominously among is the gathered coven. The series also often feature off-centre and unbalance images, here represented by an off-centre depiction of the Devil. Night and the absence of light are common images found in Goya’s ‘Black Paintings’. The painting uses earth tones to create a nocturnal scene. Originally created as a fresco in the artist’s villa outside Madrid, the dark and gloomy painting depict a gathering of witches and warlocks. Published on J/ Updated on October 14, 2023Įmail: / Phone: +44 7429 011000 The ‘Witches’ Sabbath’ is a notable piece of the Francisco Goya’s ‘Black Paintings’ series. ![]() Tom Gurney BSc (Hons) is an art history expert with over 20 years experience
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