Hello everybody! We interviewed the Spanish painter Francisco de Goya y Lucientes, who has risen from the dead to answer my questions about his life and his famous paintings. In the interview we will discuss the following points: o His life. o Tapestry cartoons o Portraits. o Religious paintings. o Paintings of historical subject. o Black paintings. o Engravings.

 When and where were you born?  I was born in Fuendetodos (Zaragoza) the 30 of March in1746.  Where did you study and where did you work?  I started to study in Zaragoza but in the year 1770 I went to Italy. After a few years, I started to work with Francisco Bayeu in Madrid making designs for tapestries.  It seems that you had many problems with your health during all your life..  Yes, in 1792 I suffered a strange illness that left me deaf. Then, in 1819 I had an outbreak of yellow fever but my friend Dr. Arrieta saved my life. Finally in 1828 I died when I was 82 because of the depression I felt during the exile in Bordeaux but also because of a stroke.

 What are the tapestry cartoons?  The tapestry cartoons or designs are a series of works that I painted between 1775 and 1792 for the Royal Tapestry Factory of Santa Barbara. These cartoons made me very famous!  What did you paint in those cartoons?  I painted many scenes of everyday life, such as festivals or scenes of the city and the countryside, everything with a cheerful character.  Which is your favorite painting in this series?  My favourite work is Picnic on the Banks of the Manzanares. I painted it in a very detailed way, paying great attention to in the facial expressions of the characters that appear in it. They eat, dance, drink and sing and enjoy the beautiful day.

 Who were your models?  I painted a lot of portraits of the royal family and of members of the nobility but I also painted ordinary people.  How did you paint the portraits?  I painted not only their physical appearance but also their feelings.  Which is your favourite portrait?  The portrait of the stupid and vicious Bourbon king Fernando VII. I painted him with an ugly face because he treated the people very badly.

 What kind of religious-themed paintings did you do?  I used to paint frescoes in churches, like the basilica Del Pilar in Zaragoza. My painting of Christ on the cross is famous.

 What did you represent in these paintings?  I represented the episodes of the war of independence with France.  What are your favourite paintings of this period?  My favourites are La carga de los mamelucos. In this work I show the panic and hatred that was felt in Madrid that day and Los fusilamientos del tres de mayo because in this work I try to show what people feel before dying.

 What led you to create the black paintings?  War and disease made me suffer a lot. I painted them to decorate the walls of my house because I felt old and sad.  How would you describe the type of painting you did in this period?  I painted them as symbols of horror and madness. I used to eat my meals looking at my painting Saturn devouring his son.

 How many series of engravings have you done? Can you describe them?  I made ​​ four series, one of them are Los caprichos where I show the abuses of the church and some scenes of witchcraft. Also, there are the disasters of war which teach the atrocities during the war, another series are the nonsenses that show monsters and finally La tauromaquia which is dedicated to bullfighting.

Goya’s life  Where was Francisco de Goya born? FuendetodosCollado VillalbaFuenteovejuna  In which of these countries did Goya study? GermanyEnglandItaly Click to the correct answer

Tapestry cartoons  For whom did Goya paint the tapestry cartoons? Royal Tapestry Factory Prado MuseumRoyal Palace  Which feeling do they represent? CheerfulAggressiveSerious

Portraits Look at this picture (Portrait of Fernando VII) and answer the question.  How do you think this person treat the people? Inconsiderately Impartially Kindly

Religious paintings In which Cathedral can you see this fresco ? Basilica del Pilar in ZaragozaCathedral in Burgos

Paintings of historical subject Look at this picture (Fusilamientos del 3 de Mayo) and answer the question. Which war is represented? Hundred years war Independence War Second World War

Black paintings Look at the picture Saturn devouring his son and answer the question. What is the predominant colour of this picture? What feeling does it transmit? Disappointment Desbelief Happiness

Engravings This engraving is called “the student knows more than the teacher”. What does this engraving represent? Love Fraternity Elegance Reality

 Tomo nº2. Colección: Los grandes genios del arte. Editorial: El Mundo.  Libro 4º ESO. Historia. Editorial: Oxford.