Francisco de Goya’s dissecting gaze upon the world and his time is unique. The new illustrated book »Goya. The Complete Prints«, which collects his entire graphic oeuvre in the highest quality in one place, shows why his etchings and lithographs are considered masterpieces of modern printmaking.
In his brief biography of Francisco de Goya, Javier Goya summarized the cornerstones of his father’s artistic creation as follows: »As an admiring observer of Velázquez and Rembrant [sic], he studied nothing but nature, which he declared his master.«
How these influences affected the Spanish artist’s printmaking work is shown in the new illustrated book »Goya. The Complete Prints«, published by TASCHEN. Across 600 pages, the volume takes its readers into the world of the painter and graphic artist who died in 1828. The collection comprises a total of 287 etchings and lithographs, thus Goya’s entire graphic oeuvre. It also includes editions created under his direct supervision, as well as state proofs from unpublished series. This highlights both the artist’s experimental spirit and his control over the printing process. In addition to detailed commentaries on each print, the volume also contains in-depth essays by Anna Reuter and José Manuel Matilla, who have been researching Goya for many years.
»Goya. The Complete Prints« impressively demonstrates why Francisco de Goya is considered one of the most innovative painters and graphic artists of the late 18th and early 19th centuries. His etchings and lithographs are considered masterpieces of modern printmaking and paved the way for many artists who followed him years and decades later. Goya’s artistic legacy is still clearly discernible in contemporary art.
The career of the Spaniard, who was born in Aragón in 1746, quickly gained momentum: Immediately after his training, Goya was appointed the first court painter to Charles IV. In his famous series, including the satirical »Caprichos« or the nightmarish »Disparates«, he dealt with the great upheavals of his time. With both the bright and dark moments that accompanied them. Again and again, he contrasted the individual with superstition or the ruling power. His work is not one that merely depicts the world, but one that describes it with a dissecting gaze—seeking to expose cracks, tensions, and fears.
Goya was also an intellectual, shaped by the art and culture of his time and intimately familiar with the ideological debates of the era. Initially, he felt committed to the ideas of the Enlightenment; later, he developed more far-reaching and personal positions. However, he was inspired not only by visual arts but also by literature. Due to his deafness, which affected him from the 1790s onwards, the written word became increasingly important for him to inform himself about ideas and new developments.
Even towards the end of his career, Goya was still influenced by his strong desire to learn. This is evident, among other things, in the drawing »I am still learning«, made in Bordeaux, as José Manuel Matilla notes in his essay at the beginning of the illustrated book. Francisco de Goya was »an independent artist who, in his work, was guided by reason and criticism of ignorance, constantly experimented, and at the same time sought the most suitable way to express his ideas.« [SW]
Goya. The Complete Prints
Hardcover in slipcase, 24.3 x 30.4 cm, 3.78 kg, 600 pages
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