The Gauge of Francisco Goya, The Painter's Impact on Cinema.

Francisco Goya is an artist who continues to inspire generations onwards, with some of his more prominent admirers in the Spanish art community, Pablo Picasso and Salvador Dalí, becoming icons in their own right. However, there is a clear dichotomy in his works, with his earlier works as a court painter, those being his earlier works of Spanish aristocracy and Rocco-styled tapestry paintings, being popular within the contemporary lifetime of Goya. This would take a turn during Goya’s later years of 1819 to 1823, where isolated within the walls of 'Quinta del Sordo,' (The Deaf Man’s House) Goya’s fears of the political atmosphere of Spain, ageing body and deteriorating mental health were displayed upon the walls of the villa. Although originally never meant to be seen by the public, this collection of fourteen painting’s, posthumously named the 'Black Paintings,' are now some of the artist's most recognized works. And it is this collection that can be seen throughout many works of cinema, from the German Expressionist to modern day independent horror films, there are many points of comparison that the directors have taken from Goya’s brush strokes.

Part I: Pan’s Labyrinth, The Pale Man and Political Posturing.

Possibly the most iconic of Goya’s Black Painting collection, and even his entire career, is that of Saturn Devouring His Son. (1819 - 1823) The painting is interpreted to be an illustration of Goya’s own paranoia, linking his own dread to that of the story of Saturn. whose dread around losing power leads the titan to cannibalise his own children. These atrocities eventually lead Saturn to be defeated by his son, Jupiter, not as a grasp for power but instead revenge. In this sense, one could argue the tale of the titan as one of a self-fulfilling prophecy fulfilled by fear, one which morphs this omnipotent lord into a withered old man. Goya portrays this deterioration through this bestial portrait, with Saturn’s wide eyes and mane-like hair giving an animalistic display of the character.

The image itself has become iconic, used as a symbol throughout media, used as an emphasis on a character's animalistic traits. No better can this be portrayed than through Guillermo Del Toro’s 2006 film Pan's Labyrinth View on: IMDb. Lettrboxd. Wikipedia. , where the character of the Pale Man is framed with imagery that directly references Goya’s work. Through the performance of Doug Jones as the creature, posing and gesturing in the same expression as the titan, to the mise-en-scene of the Pale Man’s lair, with the tapestry depicting the being eating children in a fashion similar to Goya’s Saturn, the striking iconography of the piece is clearly paid tribute.

Frames of the Pale Man and a murial from its lair from Pan's Labrynth (Del Toro, 2006), Warner Bros. Pictures.

This mirroring of the Pale Man to Goya’s Saturn brings further depth when analysing possible political interpretations of the painter's work and how Del Toro draws similarities between the subject of Goya’s portraits and his films own allegory for the Spanish Franco Regime. One such interpretation of the painting of Saturn is a representation of the political turmoil in Spain during the era known as the Trienio Liberal, a three-year period between 1820 - 1823 where Spain was ruled by a liberal government, who rose to power after a military uprising early in 1820. Goya was a vocal critic of this period in Spanish politics, believing the new government was becoming more aristocratic and socially dominant, sending the country back into medievalism. Moreover, Spain seems to be fighting a war on two fronts, a political one between liberalism and absolutism, and a militaristic one as Napoleon Bonaparte’s army of French soldiers seem to grow their occupation within the nation. These political issues had a clear effect on the painter, and one that influences many interpretations of this collection. In relation to Saturn Devouring His Son, it is regarded as a metaphor towards the Spanish government, 'cannibalisation,' of its citizens, leaving them to face the many issues while the majority of the elites lived comfortably. As a result of both this political interpretation and Del Toro’s choice to reference such a work in his film, one could argue that the director has used the painter’s qualms with the 18th century political Spanish atmosphere and placed it within the same nation's tribulations in the 19th century. It is almost as if Del Toro opens up a comparison within the films political message that would resonate with the mass public conscious of a modern-day Spain, directly paralleling the turmoil felt under Trienio Liberal of Goya’s time, to the later Franco Regime that the film makes effort to scrutinise.

Part II coming soon...

by Fionn Morris.

References:

Paintings: Goya, Francisco. Saturn Devouring His Son. 1819 - 1823. Museo Nacional del Prado. Madrid, Spain.

Films: Del Toro, G. (Director). (2006). Pans’ Labyrinth [Film]. Tequila Gang.

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