GOYA Exhibition

'The Marchioness of Santa Cruz', 1805, ©Francisco de Goya (1746-1828)

Francisco de Goya y Lucientes was one of Spain's most important artists. He lived more than 80 years from 1746 to 1828, a turbulent period during which he personally witnessed dramatic events that changed the course of European history.

Goya is probably best known for his nude painting, "La Maja Desnuda" and his chronicling of the Napoleonic wars in Spain after the French revolution. But he was also a prolific portraitist -- portraits made up about a third of his total output.

An exceptional exhibition at the National Gallery in London, running until January 10, has now brought together 70 of his best portraits from private collections and international museums, revealing his unique style and his ability to capture the psychology of his sitter.

The show, "Goya, The Portraits," is organised chronologically, covering Goya's career from his early work at the court of Madrid to his appointment as first court painter to King Charles IV and his flowering as favourite portraitist to the Spanish aristocracy.

"The aim of the exhibition is to reappraise Goya's stature as one of the greatest portrait painters in art history," said Xavier Bray, the show's curator: "His innovative and unconventional approach took the art of portraiture to new heights through his ability to reveal the inner life of sitters, even in his grandest and most memorable formal portraits."

One outstanding work, loaned by the New York Metropolitan Museum and on show in Europe for the first time, is 'The Countess of Altamira and her daughter Maria Agustina. Her shimmering embroidered silk gown and her introspective expression are unforgettable. Other exceptional paintings include "The Duchess of Alba," painted in 1797; 'The family of the Infanta Don Luis de Borbon," 1784; and a portrait of Don Valentin Bellvis de Moncade y Pizarro, dating from around 1795. In addition to the more formal royal portraits the exhibition also includes personal portraits -- Goya's friends and family and self portraits. The last portrait Goya ever painted was of his only grandson Mariano Goyal, done just before he died in 1828.

'The Duchess of Alba', 1797, ©Francisco de Goya (1746-1828)

"Goya's gaze pierces through outward appearances and reveals human frailty and fortitude, folly and wisdom," said Gabriele Finaldi the National Gallery's recently appointed director. Visitors to London should try to see this show before it closes.

By Claudia Barbieri

Francisco de Goya y Lucientes是西班牙最重要的艺术家之一。他享年82岁年，自1746年至1828年，在此期间，他亲自见证了改变欧洲历史进程的重大事件的动荡时期。

Goya最出名的是他的裸体画，“裸体的马哈”以及他在法国大革命后，记录的西班牙拿破仑战争。同时他也是一位多产的肖像画家 - 肖像画占据他所有作品的三分之一。

在伦敦国家美术馆，一个特殊的展览正在展出直至1月10日，目前已从私人收藏和一些国际博物馆汇聚了70幅他最好的肖像画，以展现他独特的风格和他捕捉他保姆心理的能力。

展览《Goya，The Portraits》按照时间顺序展示涵盖了Goya整个职业生涯，从他在马德里法院的早期作品，到他被国王查理四世任命为第一宫廷画家，以及被西班牙贵族簇拥为最喜爱的肖像画家。

“展览的目的为了重新评估Goya在艺术史上作为最伟大肖像画家之一的高度，”展览的馆长Xavier Bray说道：“他的创新和非常规的做法，通过展现他生活中的保姆，以及他最伟大最让人难忘的正式肖像的能力，使肖像艺术推到了新的高度。”

其中一个非常出色的作品首次在欧洲展出，由纽约大都会博物馆借出，名为“Altamira伯爵夫人和她的女儿Maria Agustina”。她闪闪发光的绣花丝绸长袍和她的内省表情令人难以忘记。其他特殊的作品包括“Alba公爵夫人”，绘于1797年; “郡主Don Luis de Borbon一家”绘于1784年；以及一幅Don Valentin Bellvis de Moncade y Pizarro的肖像画，绘于1795年前后。除了一些比较正式的皇室肖像画之外，展览中还包括一些个人肖像画——Goya的朋友、家人和自画像。Goya的最后一幅肖像作品在他1828年去世前完成，画的是他唯一的孙子Mariano Goyal。

“Goya的目光能够洞察外在的表象，揭示人性的脆弱和坚韧，愚笨和智慧，” 国家美术馆最新任命总监Gabriele Finaldi 说道。在伦敦的游客们应该在这个展览结束之前去看一看。

By Claudia Barbieri

'The Count of Floridablanca', 1783, ©Francisco de Goya (1746-1828)