17th April 2013

Today when I have arrived to the class Paqui has said to me that today it was my turn to do the journal.
The index of the Unit 6 was on the blackboard and Paqui has said to us that we had to copy it quickly. This unit is about art of the 19th century. Here you have the index:

1) Goya: between classicism and modernity
2) Architecture in the 19th century.
3) Sculpture and painting.
    a) Romanticism
    b) Realism
    c) Impressionism
    d) Neo-Impressionism
    e) Post-Impressionism

Paqui has been talking about the paintings we have had to choose. A lot of people have chosen Liberty leading the people and the Starry night and each one has to choose a different painting, we can't repeat them. Paqui has given a sheet to write the paintings chosen by the people who haven't commented on the blog.

 Liberty leading the people. http://artobserved.com/2013/02/delacroixs-liberty-leading-the-people-defaced-in-france/

Starry night. http://www.vangoghgallery.com/painting/starryindex.html

The deadline for the project is the 1st May. If we do it well, we won't have to take an exam of this unit.

After that, we have been talking about the painting The origin of the world and it has caused a lot of laughs.
This painting was forbidden for a long time because it was too real. It is considered to be a provocative work. During the 19th century, the display of the nude body underwent a revolution whose main activists were Courbet and Manet. Courbet rejected academic painting and its smooth, idealised nudes, but he also directly recriminated the hypocritical social conventions of the Second Empire, where eroticism and even pornography were acceptable in mythological or oneiric paintings. Courbet later insisted he never lied in his paintings, and his realism pushed the limits of what was considered presentable.

http://addchallengedeye.wordpress.com/tag/lorigine-du-monde-origin-of-the-world/

Salva has said that he wanted to do the project about this painting but he was joking. He also believed that we had to draw the painting but Paqui has said that we only have to do a comment about the painting following the instructions she is going to give after publishing my journal. Then we have started with the first point of the unit. It is about Goya.

http://ourworldinspanishintoenglish.wordpress.com/2008/02/29/goya/
He was born in Fuendetodos (Zaragoza) in 1746. He studied to become a painter, travelled to Madrid and Italy and started working at Francisco Bayeu's workshop in Zaragoza, who recommended him to work in Madrid. In 1775 he moved to Madrid and started working for the Royal Tapestry Factory, designing tapestry cartoons. His style was luminous and colorist with loose brush-strokes. It was similar to Rococo style. Some of his more important paintings are:
Crockery vendor

http://www.terminartors.com/artworkprofile/Goya_y_Lucientes_Francisco_de-The_Crockery_Vendor
The parasol

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Parasol
...
Blind man's buff
The straw manikin
Stilt
...
He painted scenes of the seasons of the year, aristocracy amusements...These paintings are in the Prado Museum.

http://spanishinnewcastle.wordpress.com/2012/04/03/museo-del-prado-prado-museum/

He started receiving orders from important figures of nobility and intellectuals and he become court painter in 1775. He was also accepted as a member of the Royal Academy of Fine Arts (1780).
Charles III hunting was the first painting he did for the Royal Family.

http://www.book530.com/painting/82375/Charles-III-in-Hunting-Costume-.html
In 1792 he suffered from a serious illness and he became deaf. This deafness completely changed his personality: he became withdrawn and his painting turned more critical and introspective and colours were darker. Imagination, freedom and critique became central.
He continued to be an extraordinary portrait painter, but many of his works completely broke up with the predominant style.  Some examples of these paintings are:
Witches Sabbath

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Witches'_Sabbath_(Goya,_1798)

Duchess of Alba

http://artmodel.wordpress.com/2009/05/02/goya-and-the-duchess/

Here you have some information about the history about the Duchess of Alba and Goya. http://artmodel.wordpress.com/2009/05/02/goya-and-the-duchess/

The naked Maja and The dressed Maja, are controversial paintings, they belonged to Godoy who comissioned them because painting naked women in that time was punished with the Inquisition. The model may have been the Duchess of Alba or Pepita Tudó (Godoy's mistress). The Nude Maja was the first in a two painting series, the second of which was the Clothed Maja respectively. It is said to be the first painting in which female pubic hair is visible, making it totally profane at the time. The identity of the model in the image is under debate with some art historians thinking the model was the mistress of Prime Minister Manuel Godoy who comissioned the paintings or that it was Goya's mistress. Many art historians agree that the model was a compilation of many female figures. In 1813 the Spanish Inquisition confiscated both paintings as obscene returning them to the Academy of Fine Arts in 1936 after Goya's death. In the 1930's Spain issued stamps with the image of the Maja, and subsequently all mail bearing the stamps were denied entrance into the United States.

http://uncomprimisingliberal.blogspot.com.es/2011_11_01_archive.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Clothed_Maja

Goya also made four series of etchings: He used these drawings to critize all he didn't like.
-Fantasies: satirical view of the Spanish society, criticism of nobility, the clergy, ignorance, superstitions...
The dream of reasons produces monsters it means that thinking you can do bad things.

http://thesubjects.anat.org.au/2013/02/ask-the-subjects-the-sleep-of-reason-produces-monsters/

-Bullfighting: we have seen that before, bulls were not killed. Like in Portugal now. I think it's better because I hate watching an animal suffering.

-Disasters of the war: the Peninsular War caused a great impression on Goya. He was a Francophile, but he refused violence. His painting became sadder and darker. In 1814 when Ferdinand VII came back, Goya painted The charge of the Mamelukes and The third of May of 1808

 The 3rd of May.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Third_of_May_1808

The charge of the Mamelukes.http://hoocher.com/Francisco_de_Goya/Francisco_de_Goya.htm

His enlightened and liberal ideas and his work for Joseph I put him into trouble. Goya lost his job in the court  and became completely isolated. He retired to a house on the banks of the river Manzanares, called "House of the deaf man". On the walls of his house he painted the Black Paintings, where he reflected mythological themes, witches' scenes, his fears and obesessions. One example is The dog, a painting that Paqui likes a lot.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Dog_(Goya)
-Follies: they are difficult to interpret. He reflected his outlook on humanity and his fear of insanity. These etchings are supposed to be dream scenes, criticism to de Ancien Régime and power. For example A way of flying.

http://www.wikipaintings.org/en/francisco-goya/a-way-of-flying-1823

In 1823 Goya exiled in France where he painted his last paintings:
 I'm still learning (I like a lot this painting because no matter how old you are, you can always learn more than you know and it's a simple painting)

http://fugitiveink.wordpress.com/2008/09/17/learning-from-robert-hughes/

The milkmaid of Bordeaux, 1826

http://www.eeweems.com/goya/milkmaid.html

Goya died in France in 1828. He was the precursor of many styles such as Romanticism, Realism, Expressionism and Surrealism. Paqui likes a lot Goya and she likes Monet too, who painted series of the same topic.

http://museumpublicity.com/2011/07/04/museum-of-fine-arts-boston-opens-monet-lichtenstein-rouen-cathedrals/
After finishing with Goya we have been talking about the date of the exam and Laura Bustamante has said that it was on the 29th but Paqui has said that she hasn't said anything about the day of the exam. Finally we have decided to put it on the 29th of May because if we delay the exam so much, Paqui will include more contents such as the World War I.

After that the bell has rung and Paqui has told the people to choose a painting because if not, she will choose it. We don't have to choose architecture because it is very difficult to comment.
For homework we have to complete the notes about Goya because today Paqui has had to explain everything quickly and we couldn't waste time copying.
Here you have some words I have included to my glossary:
-draft: borrador
-tapestry: tapicería
-deaf: sordo
-stain: mancha
-etching: grabado
-bull: toro
-Crockery vendor: el cacharrero
-The parasol: el quitasol
-Blind man's buff: la gallinita ciega
-The straw manikin: el pelele
-Witches Sabbath: aquelarre


BYE BYE PEOPLE I HOPE YOU LIKE IT ! :) :) :)