By nature, Francisco Goya was an extroverted, humorous man. He was a master of portrait, a court painter, and a well-respected artist. Why, then, is he remembered as a tortured, almost insane person?

What were Goya’s Black Paintings?

Painted from 1819-1823 directly on the walls of his house, then transferred to canvas in 1823, Goya’s Black Paintings are what he is widely remembered for. With their creepy undertones and dark colors, these paintings draw the attention of everyone from seasoned aesthetes to random internet citizens, and for good reason.

The image above is a painting Goya finished in 1823, entitled Atropos. The painting has a very dark, ominous aura. One Fate (Atropos means fates) holds a pair of scissors, which could be interpreted as cutting a life short. One carries a doll, resembling a baby, which could be a representation of the feebleness of human life in the hands of the divine. All in all, this painting is an ominous portrayal of the divine. This is a perfect example of the Black Paintings, dark and creepy, using shadows almost as a default and lighter colors as a draw to the painting’s focal point.

Delving into Meanings

Goya’s Black Paintings have been, to a degree, over-analyzed. The truth is, the abstract nature of some of the paintings makes that easy. The image of a dog drowning in mud speaks to a lot of people; burnt-out mothers, frustrated nurses and office workers, people with mental illnesses such as bipolar disorder, depression, and anxiety. It appeals to those who may be particularly sensitive to animal cruelty or the environmental crisis the world is facing. In a lot of ways, this image is entirely up to interpretation by the viewer, leading to it’s repetitive analyzation.

Another important Black Painting is the eerie painting Two Women Eating. This image evokes a sense of foreboding, with the dark colors and creepy half-skeleton-half-woman on the right of the painting. The most centered woman’s skin has a greenish hue, a common theme in the representation of witches and the occult. A lot of Goya’s work revolved around witches, more of which I will touch on later. This image is a little harder to relate to, as most of us probably can’t visualize ourselves as the threatening-looking woman on the left or the skeleton-like woman on the right. What I interpret from this painting is that both of the women are incredibly impoverished, sickly and half-dead. Figuratively, the green skin could represent sickness, and literally the skull-head of the other woman could represent how near these people are to dying-or even that they’re already dead. This could’ve been a reflection of Spanish society of the era and the treatment of the impoverished, or a reflection of the “witches” Goya perceived to be around him, and how their cauldrons of poison would lead to doom.

In the final example I will interpret of Goya’s Black Paintings, I turn my attention to Witches Sabbath. The dark, large goat with twisted horns towards the left of the painting is a representation of Satan. All around him are women, most who look on in awe, some in fear, submissive to the teachings of their lord. The women are, undoubtedly, witches. They commune with Satan, learning his teachings and later, or so we are to assume, modeling them. This image is likely Goya’s interpretations of the flawed, licentious people around him. Although not a firm supporter of the Catholic Church, Goya critiqued amorality as he saw it, including in witchcraft and the failings of the Church in the Spanish Inquisition.

Why does it Matter?

Goya’s Black Paintings represent a unique and critical outlook on the world. These paintings bridge the gap between the traditional romanticist artwork of this era and the next artistic era-the modern era.

It should be noted that Goya never wanted anyone to see these paintings-they were done on the walls of his own home. It should also be noted that these paintings were likely not made out of insanity-Goya knew exactly what he was painting.

The only problem is, we don’t. The common public doesn’t know what Goya meant by these paintings. Only one man in history knew, and he (Goya) is long dead. Now, it’s up to us to continue to view and interpret these paintings, reviving their importance for ages to come.

Written By

Samantha Berg