The leading Spanish painter of the late 18th, early 19th century, Francisco de Goya distinguished himself by etching, engraving, creating tapestries and paintings, becoming the leading artist of the royal court of Charles IV. Despite the patronage of Charles, Goya was never a convinced monarchist.
It is often said that El Greco was a painter of the church, Velazquez by the artist of the royal court, and Goya was a painter of the people. Moreover, his avant-garde motives make the master one of the first modern artists of Europe, inspired by many modernists, as well as famous masters, in particular Monet and Picasso. Written portraits helped Goya achieve the highest position available to the court painter.
In 1793, paranoia and other health problems make the artist deaf and prone to decadent moods, which results in the creation of a series of works full of dark romanticism.
Colossus, one of the greatest masterpieces not only of Goya, but of the whole history of painting, as well as one of the fine examples of the romantic imagination of the master. Against the background of the sky, facing a bare back to the viewer, there is a huge man. He is dark, bearded and physically developed, and his fists are raised in a menacing manner. It seems that a person leaves. Hills located at the hip level give an idea of how massive the figure depicted. For this purpose, clouds are also depicted which only wrap the pelvis. The goggled eyes of the giant, most likely, symbolize the idea of blind violence.
Between the spectator and the colossus lies a broad valley, which is the site of a mass panic flight. People with stuffed carts and cattle are moving away from the huge figure on the horizon. An additional tension in the foreground is created by a running herd of bulls. It is worth noting the confused gray-haired mule standing to the left of them. Some experts believe that the animal symbolizes a lack of understanding of the horrors of war.
It’s strange, but there is no reason to believe that the giant caused harm to anyone. However, the viewer does not need to know this to justify the flight of frightened people.
The technique used by Goya in Colossus is similar to that used by him in a series of frescos on the walls of his house, however, art historians have refuted the assumption that the work is part of the series, despite the prevalence of characteristic colors and a distinctly constructed lighting.
The main source of inspiration was the poem “Iberian prophecy”, Juan Bautista Arriaz. The poems portray the Spanish people as a giant emerging from the Pyrenees in order to repulse Napoleon. In addition, a careful analysis of the image of the giant showed that this figure is similar to Hercules, drawn by Francisco de Surbarano.
In June 2008, the head of the Prado Museum had an opinion that the “Colossus” – the work is not Goya’s hands. Long disputes and proceedings disproved this assumption.
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