With our upcoming art test I thought I would bring back some of Goya's work. This is "Saturn devouring one of his sons." Since we are having an essay test, I thought it would be good practice to discuss the painting.
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Like it says in Fleming's Arts and Ideas, Goya departed from the neoclassical ways, which emphasized the ideal instead of self-expression, when dealing with mythological subjects such as this. As an example of how Goya fearlessly encountered evil, "Saturn Devouring One of His Children" depicts the horror and blood-shed of ancient myths. Here, Goya chose to depict a scene of cannibalism in order to emphasize the overall gory theme. The vivid color contrasts, especially between the black and red, also stay in line with these ideas.
Before analyzing Goya's "Saturn Devouring His Children", I find it necessary to understand the myth of Saturn. A prophet told Saturn that one of his children would destroy him and in fear, Saturn ate all of his children. This painting is Goya's interpretation of this tale. The painting demonstrates Goya's Romantic and ,I believe, Modernist style painting. He depicts a gory portrayal of this act of cannabalism. Goya's painting is very romantic because he does not cling to reality and created his own distorted, un-realistic perceptions of the tale.
It would be essential to mention that this is one of Goya's Black Paintings. Goya's fascination with evil is immediately evident. The black of the background seems prepared to consume Saturn's form just as he consumes his own child. The lack of line and definite shape make the painting mysterious, creepy, and a little confusing. Goya destroys the loftiness and order of Neoclassicism; the depravity of humanity is reflected even in the paragon that is mythology.
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