How are you?
On every Thursday, I am
introducing the stories about various artists and their paintings with the
title “Interesting Art Stories”.
The 12th story for this week is
"The Nude Maja" by a Spanish artist Francisco Goya.
Francisco Goya
“The Nude Maja (La Maja Desnuda)” is an oil painting depicted by
Spanish artist Francisco Goya from 1797 to 1800. Portraying a nude woman
reclining on a bed of pillows, this work is presumed to have been commissioned
by Spanish Prime Minister Manuel de Godoy to hang it in a separate room to reserve
for nude paintings. Goya painted a pendant of the same woman in the same pose, clothed,
known as “La maja vestida (The Clothed Maja).”
Manuel de Godoy
The two Maja pieces are the same size, but the model in the clothed
version occupies a slightly larger space in the painting. The theme of this
work is Maja, the woman from the lower classes in Spain, especially in Madrid, who
differentiated herself by her elaborate outfits and sense of style in dress and
manners in the 18th and the 19th centuries, with reference to her costume in La
maja vestida.
La maja vestida, Francisco Goya (c. 1803)
This work is famous for the straightforward and unashamed gaze of
the model looking at the viewers. It was the work that upset the authorities of
the Church, but it also captured the public at the time and contributed to extending
the artistic horizon. This work has been held by the Prado Museum in Madrid,
Spain since 1901 and is hung next to La maja vestida.
This work has many of the identical traditions as those depicted
in Spanish nude paintings, but it expresses a clear break from these traditions
in significant ways, such as the model’s bold gaze.
View of the two paintings side by side, The Prado Museum
In addition, seeing in the pendant “La maja vestida”, the focus
of this work is not a mythological subject such as Velázquez's Rokeby Venus,
but a nude Spanish woman.
When comparing two works, Velázquez painted Venus with only her back,
while Goya's portrait is a full frontal view. Also, Goya's model is short and
angular, while Velázquez's model is elongated and curved. In addition, the rich
colored satin and white cloths on which the model lay also show great contrast.
The Rokeby Venus, Diego Velázquez (1647~1651)
Godoy retained the work until the investigators for the Spanish
Inquisition pointed it out as a "questionable picture" in 1808. Being
brought to the Inquisition, Godoy was forced to reveal the artist who painted
this work, which was “so indecent and prejudicial to the public good.”
In fact, the incident was driven by popularism and political motive,
following the opinions of the crowds gathered demanding Godoy's removal as
Prime Minister. During this trial, Goya was summoned on a charge of moral
depravity, and asked to clarify “Why did Godoy commission this painting?"
and "What request did he make when he asked you to draw this painting?" However, the Director of Confiscations noted that Goya had only
followed and imitated Titian's Danaë series and Velázquez's Rokeby Venus.
Danaë, Original version in Naples, Titian (1544~46)
At the time, Titian and Velázquez were painters who were very
much admired by the court and church for their works, including their nude
paintings. The Inquisition decided that Goya followed the tradition of art
and imitated the painting of Velázquez, which was favored by Philip IV of Spain,
and by this decision Goya escaped prosecution.
There are many claims about who the model of this work is.
The
most likely woman among them is Pepita Tudó, a young mistress of Godoy.
Pepita Tudó
Other possibility
is María del Pilar Teresa Cayetana de Silva y Álvarez de Toledo, 13th Duchess
of Alba, with whom Goya was rumored to have been romantic relationship, and whose
portrait he painted twice (in 1795 and 1797). However, many scholars studying
Goya reject the possibility of being María del Pilar Teresa and agree that she is
Pepita Tudó. Some scholars claim that the model of the work is a composite of
several different women.
María Cayetana de Silva, 13th duchess of Alba
The White Duchess, Francisco Goya (1795)
The Black Duchess, Francisco Goya (1797)
What's interesting about this work is that the model's
head and body are not connected to each other, and it's presumed that Goya drew
the face of the model separately to hide the actual identity of the model.
Thank you.
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