Goya: Monsters And Matadors. National Gallery Of Scotland 3-Feb-07

What excuse do I have for my ignorance of the Goya prints?
Well, mainly the bullshit the press puts out, that reduces the whole output to a simple message: 'life is shit' and 'Goya is a gloomy bloke.'
Hardly seems worth going out of your way for.
No surprise that the reality is different.

Series: The Tauromaquia
I had seen a print in the newspaper. Plate 21 'The dreadful events' which gives the impression the whole series is just about people or various animals being gored. But the series is much more interesting than that. It is actually about the history and techniques of bullfighting, from the early days of gangs of blokes just ganging up on a bull, the Moors bringing in the use of horses (and much of the techniques that were later incorporated) to the more modern bullring and bullfight which incorporates a range of the older and newer spectacles.
What do the prints show:
The glamour
The daring
The carnival crazy publicity stunt atmosphere of Daren Brown, Evel Knievel, David Blaine with one of his less boring stunts.
The danger and pain
The sense of history

Plate 14 is called 'The very skillful student of Falces.'
(Falces is where the bullfighter Don Bernando Alcade y Merino had studied for the priesthood.)
It shows a figure shrouded in a cape and huge hat, exactly like a modern comic book hero (Alam Moore tradition) BUT it was a real person.

There is 'Martincho' going to leap over a bull while he wears anckle chains.
Another swings across the bull on a pole.

Reminiscent, rightly I think, of the bull dancers of ancient Crete.
Great bullfighter 'Pepe' was seriously wounded 13 times in his career before his death in the ring. (The death shown in Goya's print.)

Series: The Disasters of War
Interesting how big a part women played in the war. Eg, the print 'What courage!' - with Augustina climbing over the dead soldiers to fire the canon. And the fact that -at least to a certain extent - Spanish women fought beside the men.
Many of the more grusome prints very famous of course. I was always a little unsure if the things drawn would actually look like that. But after the documentory feel of the bullfighters series you know war images are accurate.
Goya isn't on a one message track through. He is a documentor of everything. Even the glamour.

Series: The Proverbios
Not much to say about these. Partly because they were all familiar to me. Only you could imagine a Goya fantasy comic book.

It was good that the exhibition was on the bottom floor. It made me go down and see the Scottish Collection again. This visit struck by the Traquair. Quiller Orchardson's breathtaking 'Master baby' (a Pinter play image if there ever was one.) Joseph Noel Paton's Midsummer Night's Dream paintings.

What a pleasure to have these on my doorstep!