Spanish artist Francisco Goya is considered one of the country's most eminent artists, with his romanticism paintings (often portraits or religious scenes) earning him great acclaim.
But Goya did more than just paint, and after suffering a serious illness that left him deaf, Goya returned to the foundation of all arts – that is, drawing. And just like his paintings, Goya's drawings have drawn great attention and praise for their often dark and wry depictions of universal human experiences and contemporary Spanish societal issues.
You can explore more than 160 drawings from Goya at the NGV as part of Goya: Drawings from the Prado Museum. This world-exclusive exhibition marks the largest ever collection of Goya drawings ever to be shown in Australia – come expecting everything from moody ink drawings to red chalk sketches, with his earliest satirical cartoons through to his best-known prints on display.
While many of his drawings reflected a bleaker side of humanity, it's also an incredibly relatable side of humanity, with many of the dark, often surreal sketches provoking emotional responses more than 150 years after creation. Notably, every single work in Goya: Drawings from the Prado Museum is one that was created outside of commission. In layman's terms, that means Goya created it without having to appease a patron and thus they represent his raw and unadulterated perspectives.
Goya: Drawings from the Prado Museum runs from June 25 to October 3 at NGV International.
