Francisco José de Goya y Lucientes Oil on canvas, 46x35cm, Prado, Madrid Goya is regarded as the most important Spanish artist of the late 18th and early 19th centuries. Over the course of his long career, Goya moves from jolly and lighthearted to deeply pessimistic in his paintings, drawings, etchings, and frescoes. Today we are going to learn about Focal Point and Social Commentary from this artist. What are your eyes drawn to first? Notice his hair is a mess and his shirt is open. This would cause a scandal in his day. De Goya began painting during the Enlightenment, a period of time when people were used to thinking of themselves as “divine” and seeing themselves that way in paintings. Always in fancy dress with an elaborate background.

CARLOS III King of Spain By Francisco Goya,1787. Oil on canvas, 209 x 125 cm neatly dressed formal sash and military medals all the lands he owns surrounded by the sky Notice how light the background is. His figure is mostly surrounded by the sky, as if he lives in the heavens.

Self Portrait. Goya, Oil on canvas, 46x35cm, Prado, Madrid  No sky  No fancy clothes  Dark background Born: March 30, 1746 in a village in northern Spain His family was very poor, but his father taught him to draw from an early age and he attended a small art school run by a monk in his village. He does not seem “heavenly or divine It is as if he is saying that there is nothing more to this man, but what you see.

Everyday scenes of life

Summer, Francisco de Goya, 1786 Oil on canvas, Prado, Madrid

The Snowstorm, Francisco de Goya, 1787 Oil on canvas, Prado, Madrid

Don Sebastián Martínez Francisco de Goya, 1792 Oil on canvas, 37 x 27 in. The Metropolitan Museum of Art What is the focal point? You are supposed to notice his fine clothing so you can understand that he was very wealthy. He was also a collector of fine art and books, signified by the sheet of paper in his hands. Goya became very ill after this & became completely deaf because of the illness. Do you think it is the face or the yellow pants?

Francisco Goya y Lucientes, pintor By Francisco de Goya Etching, aquatint. 9 x 6 inches Plate number 1 from Los Caprichos 80 Social and Political cartoons Created when he was 54 years old France declared war on Spain. Goya abandoned his painting for a short time to create a series of etchings called Los Caprichos. He turns from a world of light and color to nightmarish visions in black and white. Why? His paintings were so expensive, not many people saw them. By creating a small print series, he could publish a lot of copies and reach more people. It was a way for Goya to condemn the brutality of the war and the foolishness in the Spanish society in which he lived.

Might not the pupil know more? By Francisco de Goya Etching, aquatint. 9 x 6 inches Plate number 37 from Los Caprichos Broken Educational System His fellow Spaniards appear as donkeys, or asses, a caricature we see even in our time. In the fairy tale story Pinocchio, ill behaved little boys get turned into donkeys. In the DreamWorks movie Shrek, the talking Donkey is a happy-go-lucky, yet impatient and naïve friend. Keeping in mind the artists use of parody, the question then becomes why are both the student and the teacher donkeys? If the whole educational system is full of donkeys, then one donkey must breed another, just as one fool teaches another.

The horror of war and death So they carried her off! By Francisco de Goya Etching, aquatint. 9 x 6 inches Plate number 8 from Los Caprichos During the war and Inquisition, Goya witnessed the punishment of innocent people. Here Goya captures the horror of a woman being kidnapped by two men, who may be identified as members of the inquisition, or by death itself. we see hidden faces. This makes it more scary, and allows us to understand these figures as a metaphor for an idea that has no face, such as death.

In 1810 Goya returns to painting. But after seeing all the violence of war and surviving a terrible illness and becoming deaf, Goya’s paintings are now very dark, in color and subject matter.

To make things worse, his wife, Josephea dies in 1812.

The Second of May 1808, Francisco de Goya, 1814 Oil on canvas, 9ft. X 12 ft. Prado, Madrid Two years later he completes the masterpieces he is most famous for. First Goya depicts a brutal scene in Madrid's city center, the Puerta del Sol, where Spaniards fought against French-led soldiers on horseback. What is the focal point here? The horse? Why here? Is the most important part of this battle the death of a Spanish freedom fighter?

The Third of May 1808, Francisco de Goya, 1814 Oil on canvas, 9ft. X 12 ft. Prado, Madrid Here Goya is honoring the Spanish resistance to Napoleon's armies during the occupation of Goya does not follow the traditional way to honor heroes in war. Before Goya, only the winners were shown in all their glory. What is the focal point? How do we know? What are our clues? We see the conclusion of the battle from the previous painting, doesn’t have a happy ending. And it has no distinct precedent. What does that mean? This is one of the first paintings of the modern era.

Cart What makes a good c artoon ? World Issue Local Issue Personal Issue Express Anger Show Hope Encouraging Limited Use of Words Expressions on Faces Hidden Faces

Examples  The Law  Health & Safety  People

Study for "A Sunday on La Grande Jatte" Georges Seurat (1884) Oil on canvas, 70.5 x cm Metropolitan Museum of Art

Who is the artist? Dr. Seuss WWII political cartoon 1941

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What would you tell the world if you only had one sheet of paper and a sharpie?

Please, out of respect for the younger children walking the hallways, do not draw guns in your social commentaries. Any composition that contains a gun or graphic violence will not be displayed. Thank you!

My Examples