athena art foundation — I Saw It: Francisco de Goya, Printmaker

Francisco de Goya y Lucientes, *Disparates: A Way of Flying (Modo de volar)*, 1864, Norton Simon Museum, Pasadena.

I Saw It: Francisco de Goya, Printmaker presents the Spanish artist’s four major print series in their entirety: Caprichos (1799), Desastres de la Guerra (c. 1810–15), La Tauromaquia (1815–16) and Los Disparates (c. 1815–23). Select impressions from trial and working proofs, as well as hand-colored and later editions, offer insights into the artist’s creative process and the full range of his expressive capacity in a variety of print techniques. This is the first comprehensive installation of Goya’s iconic suites on the West Coast, and it is drawn exclusively from the renowned collection of this material in the Norton Simon Museum.

The exhibition’s title—in Spanish, Yo lo vi—derives from Goya’s own inscriptions for two of his prints. In the literal sense, it conveys Goya’s engagement with printmaking as a way in which to chronicle and remark on the history and culture of his country and his relationship to it. Figuratively, the title acknowledges the artist as a visionary and as an inventor of caprices, in which his satirical and even strange images capture attention and appeal to the viewer’s emotions.

In witty, haunting and often raw narratives, Goya critiqued the abuse of power, both religious and political, his country’s prejudices and superstitions and the brutality of war. His complicated and sometimes baffling imagery is explored in separate sections that highlight the fantasy, invention and compassion that characterize his subjects, as well as his artistry in etching and aquatint. These areas are punctuated with related works by modern and contemporary artists, including Leon Golub, Pablo Picasso and Andy Warhol, who, like Goya, felt compelled to address injustice and suffering in their art.

Also showing at the Museum is I Saw It: Modern Artists Respond to Goya which examines Francisco de Goya’s legacy as reflected in the work of five artists: Enrique Chagoya, Leon Golub, Pablo Picasso, Yinka Shonibare and Andy Warhol. Goya, who was active from the late 18th to early 19th century, translated Spain’s customs, politics and turmoil into images that were audacious and unconventional, mixing satire with empathy. As a printmaker, he reflected on the rapidly changing world in which he lived, positioning himself as an eyewitness to the spectacle.

The artists in I Saw It draw on the visual language and themes developed by Goya, particularly in his famous etched series Los Caprichos, Los Desastres de la Guerra, La Tauromaquia and Los Disparates. Chagoya, Picasso and Shonibare borrow from his repertoire of iconic images but portray them in a new light. Golub and Warhol share Goya’s perspective of the artist as observer, responding to events of their time with imagery that is insightful and provocative. In this way, Goya’s haunting scenes continue to speak to artists who examine cultural identity, moral deterioration and the destructive power of political institutions.