Goya - by Anna Reuter & José Manuel Matilla (Hardcover)

About the Book

With acute powers of observation and artistic innovation, Francisco de Goya captured the soul of the Spanish nation in turmoil, around the dawn of the 19th century. In this complete collection of his 287 etchings and lithographs, we see into the mind of an artist unafraid to navigate the depths of human folly, hypocrisy, violence, and power.

Book Synopsis

Francisco de Goya was one of the most innovative peintre-graveurs of the late 18th and early 19th centuries, his etchings and lithographs masterpieces of modern printmaking. Trained in Spain and Italy, and appointed First Court Painter to Charles IV early in his career, he brought the sensibilities of the Enlightenment into uneasy dialogue with the brutal realities of his time.
Whether working in single sheets, like the harrowing The Garrotted Man or the sublime Seated Giant, or across his celebrated series--the satirical Caprichos, the unflinching Desastres de la Guerra, the dynamic Tauromaquia, and the nightmarish Disparates--Goya chronicled both the spirit and the shadows of a world in upheaval, where the individual was often crushed by violence, superstition, or power. These weren't just reflections on Spanish society. They were indictments, meditations, and warnings, etched in copperplates.
This landmark collection of 287 etchings and lithographs gathers Goya's complete printed oeuvre, including editions produced under his direct supervision, as well as rare state proofs from unpublished series, giving uncommon insight into his restless experimentation and meticulous control over the printmaking process.
With a detailed commentary on each image and commanding essays by José Manuel Matilla and Anna Reuter, this volume is the culmination of more than two centuries of scholarly research, and is a searing visual narrative. Goya did not simply depict his world. He dissected it, laying bare the eternal tensions between reason and madness, justice and cruelty, hope and despair.

Review Quotes

"In this impressive multilingual volume, you are overwhelmed by the singular talent of Goya to render the world around him into black lines that continue to resonate today, perhaps more so than ever."-- "Hyperallergic"

"Spend a few hours with this one-volume survey of the prints of Francisco de Goya, and you may feel as if you'd discovered a healthier, more sustainable form of doomscrolling."-- "The Washington Post"

"TASCHEN's splendid, comprehensive, affordable volume, every image reproduced large-scale to crystalline perfection."-- "The Financial Times"

"A lavish coffee-table book, whose excellent reproduction does Goya's visual brilliance justice."-- "Art Review"

"Goya offers a remarkable insight into the artist's spirit of experimentation. With detailed commentary on each print and profound essays by Matilla and Reuter, this volume crowns more than two centuries of scholarly research and presents a compelling visual narrative."-- "n-tv"

"Fantasy, abandoned by reason, produces impossible monsters; united with reason, she is the mother of the arts and the origin of marvels."-- "Francisco de Goya, 1799"