Synopses & Reviews
Robert Hughes, who has stunned us with comprehensive works on subjects as sweeping and complex as the history of Australia (
The Fatal Shore), the modern art movement (
The Shock of the New), the nature of American art (
American Visions), and the nature of America itself as seen through its art (
The Culture of Complaint), now turns his renowned critical eye to one of art historys most compelling, enigmatic, and important figures, Francisco José de Goya y Lucientes. With characteristic critical fervor and sure-eyed insight, Hughes brings us the story of an artist whose life and work bridged the transition from the eighteenth-century reign of the old masters to the early days of the nineteenth-century moderns.
With his salient passion for the artist and the art, Hughes brings Goya vividly to life through dazzling analysis of a vast breadth of his work. Building upon the historical evidence that exists, Hughes tracks Goyas development, as man and artist, without missing a beat, from the early works commissioned by the Church, through his long, productive, and tempestuous career at court, to the darkly sinister and cryptic work he did at the end of his life.
In a work that is at once interpretive biography and cultural epic, Hughes grounds Goya firmly in the context of his time, taking us on a wild romp through Spanish history; from the brutality and easy violence of street life to the fiery terrors of the Holy Inquisition to the grave realities of war, Hughes shows us in vibrant detail the cultural forces that shaped Goyas work.
Underlying the exhaustive, critical analysis and the rich historical background is Hughess own intimately personal relationship to his subject. This is a book informed not only by lifelong love and study, but by his own recent experiences of mortality and death. As such this is a uniquely moving and human book; with the same relentless and fearless intelligence he has brought to every subject he has ever tackled, Hughes here transcends biography to bring us a rich and fiercely brave book about art and life, love and rage, impotence and death. This is one genius writing at full capacity about anotherand the result is truly spectacular.
Review
"Goya, arguably the father of modern art, painted remarkable portraits and war scenes, the latter of which could be the most hideous depictions of human suffering ever produced. Hughes writes about these paintings in prose mercifully free of jargon. He is to art criticism what M. F. K. Fisher was to food writing and Pauline Kael was to movie criticism: a deeply passionate enthusiast." Adrienne Miller, Esquire (read the entire Esquire review)
Review
"[An] expert and passionate interpretation....Hughes' profound appreciation...will inspire readers to look to Goya's magnificent, shocking, and clarifying works as to a polestar as we grapple with the inhumanity of our times." Donna Seaman, Booklist
Review
"Given his intimate understanding of the painter, one regrets that Hughes's diligent catalogues...often forgo in-depth analysis for textbook thoroughness. But he compellingly insists on Goya's prophetic genius..." Publishers Weekly
Review
"[A]nother demonstration of Hughes's always impressive ability to write about art for the general public without either pandering or putting on airs....A solid work of art history, though not the revelatory summing-up the author appears to have aspired to." Kirkus Reviews
Synopsis
With characteristic critical fervor and sure-eyed insight, Hughes brings readers the story of Francisco Jose de Goya y Lucientes, an artist whose life and work bridged the transition from the 18th-century reign of the old masters to the early days of the 19th-century moderns.
Synopsis
Includes bibliographical references (p. [409]-413) and index.
About the Author
Robert Hughes was born in Australia in 1938. Since 1970 he has lived and worked in the United States, where until 2001 he was chief art critic for Time, to which he still contributes. His books include The Shock of the New, The Fatal Shore, Nothing If Not Critical, Barcelona, The Culture of Complaint, and American Visions. He is the recipient of a number of awards and prizes for his work.