Francisco Goya was born in a small village in Northern Spain in 1746. He rose from humble beginnings to become the most respected and highest paid painter of his day and Number One Court painter for the Spanish Royal family.

But something happened during a bout of illness in his forties and he turned away from his wealthy patrons in their gaudy palaces to paint the poor, the sick, the trampled and the mad.
There are many different theories as to what this illness could have been from malaria and lead poisoning to rare autoimmune disorders.

In this video I explore how his mysterious illness changed a conventional painting of aristocrats into a daringly modern artist, pushing back the frontiers of technique and challenging the social order.

Finding Out More
I enjoyed Robert Hughes’ life of Goya, more an exploration of his art than a genuine biography, but a very entertaining read. I also enjoyed a recent compilation of Goya’s letters to his friends which his inner thoughts and personality. I have listed these on my Amazon Store Page. https://www.amazon.com/shop/professor...

Academic References
Bouvier, P. (2011). ‘Yo lo vi’. Goya witnessing the disasters of war: an appeal to the sentiment of humanity. International Review of the Red Cross, 93(884), 1107-1133.
Cipriani, G., Cipriani, L., Picchi, L., & Di Fiorino, M. (2018). Art is long, life is short. Francisco José de Goya y Lucientes (1746–1828), the suffering artist. Medical Hypotheses, 117, 16-20.
Fernandez-Doctor, A., Seva, A., & Dening, T. (1994). A discovery throwing light on the illness of F. de Goya y Lucientes. History of psychiatry, 5(17), 097-102.
Guijarro-Castro, C. (2013). Could neurological illness have influenced Goya’s pictorial style. Neurosci Hist, 1(1), 12-20.
Morant, J. V. (2018). Sparks over Saturn: A Revision on Francisco de Goya´ s (1746-1828) disorders. NeuroRegulation, 5(2), 52-52.
Symmons, S. (2021). Sacks, giants, owls, cats: It's a mad world in the graphic art of Francisco de Goya (1746–1828). Forensic Science International: Mind and Law, 2, 100061.

Copyright Disclaimer
The primary purpose of this video is educational. I have tried to use material in the public domain or with Creative Commons Non-attribution licences wherever possible. Where attribution is required, I have listed this below. I believe that any copyright material used falls under the remit of Fair Use, but if any content owners would like to dispute this, I will not hesitate to immediately remove that content. It is not my intention to infringe on content ownership in any way. If you happen to find your art or images in the video, please let me know and I will be glad to credit you.

Images
Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons
Prado Museum
Wellcome Collection
Real Academia de Bellas Artes de San Fernando, Madrid

Music
Jota de "el cribero" de Cantalejo (Segovia) Performed by José Luis Castán. Fundación Joaquín Díaz. CC3.0
Isaac Albeniz - Suite espanola op. 47 – leyenda. Public domain via Musopen.com
Isaac Albeniz - Asturias - David Hernando Vitores CC4.0
Isaac Albeniz - Tango Op.165 Nº2 - David Hernando Vitores - Kayoko Morimoto (Wasei Duo) CC4.0
Pep Ventura La Capritxosa. Adolf Pla. Piano arrangement by Joan Llongueras. CC4.0
Manuel de Falla - Suite Populaire Espagnole - Cello Encores John Michel CC3.0
Tomas Luis de Victoria -O vos omnes - The Tudor Consort CC2.5
Antonio Soler - Sonata No. 3 in Sol maggiore per due clavicembali. Pracchia-78. Public Domain.
Bach - Cello Suite no. 1 in G major, BWV 1007 - Prélude & Sarabande Pablo Casals Public domain
Bach - Cello Suite no. 5 in C minor, BWV 1011 - I. Prélude Pablo Casals Public domain
Francisco Tarrega - Recuerdos de la Alhambra Carlo Alberto Boni CC3.0
Gustav Mahler - Symphony No. 7- Gerard Arthus Vanguard CC1.0

Video produced by Graeme Yorston and Tom Yorston.