Goya: Images of Women

'a fine and...informative book.' The Times

A beautiful illustrated book about Goya's depictions of women

Women frequently appeared as the subjects of Goya's works, from his painted cartoons for the Royal Tapestry Factory to his stunning portraits of some of the most powerful women in Madrid. This catalogue of an exhibition at the National Gallery of Art in Washington DC and Museo Nacional del Prado in 2002 examines the representations of women within Goya's multifaceted art, and in so doing, it sheds light on the evolution of his artistic creativity as well as on the roles assumed by women in late-18th- and early-19th-century Spain.

Many of Goya's most famous works are represented including the artist's famous tapestry cartoons are included, along with the tapestries woven after them for the royal palaces of the Prado and the Escorial. Goya's infamous Naked Maja and Clothed Maja are also highlighted, with a discussion on whether these works were painted at the same time and how they might have originally hung in relation to one another.

The volume also considers Goya's more experimental prints and drawings, in which the artist depicted women alternatively as targets of satire, of sympathy, or of admiration. There are essays which provide a historical and cultural context for Goya's work, including a discussion of the significance of fashion and dress during the period.

A preview of the book is available here.

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