A Glimpse into Unforgettable Worlds—A Study of Contrasts at the Meadows Museum, Dallas TX
March 7 – July 18, 2010
Reading the various articles announcing this exhibition, I thought the show primarily highlighted Goya and Lopez’s works commissioned by Charles IV as court painters. I was both disappointed and pleasantly surprised to find however, that the exhibition focuses on the grandiose life of Charles IV, with the majority of the paintings by Goya and Lopez on the other side of the museum in a small side gallery. Here was a king who lived in a grand fashion (like they always do),which here in America,we have no concept of. Splitting his time between four royal palaces coordinated to the seasons and to the Royal Palace in Madrid, Charles IV and his family experienced untold wealth. Highlighted in the exhibition are a myriad of objects which exemplify his plush lifestyle: exquisitely ornate desks, chairs, clocks, tapestries, paintings and even a hand carried gold and inlaid wooden carriage used by the Queen.
Contrast these decorative objects with the comparatively small paintings across the hall, where Goya’s work, created outside the realm of court painter, rest in a small alcove, along with some beautiful portraits by Lopez. It is no wonder these two men were chosen for their royal position.
How Dallas came to possess these paintings, along with other wonderful pieces (to name a few) by Velasquez, Murillo and Ribera is thanks to Algur H. Meadows, who began to collect Spanish art in the 1950s, and whose collection is one of the finest outside of Spain. The selection from the permanent collection on view is worth your time if you have it.
But I digress….I began this article with a mention of contrasts. As court painter, Goya produced the large portrait of Charles IV whose image is marketing the show, as well as two idyllic scenes cartoons) which were converted into tapestries.
On this side of the museum however, we witness another side of Goya’s life-the horrors of the French invasion, the darkness and brutality of prison life, the folly of man and a certain introspection which I believe resulted not only from going deaf in 1792 at the age of 46, but also from extended illness. I may be wrong on this, but I am not aware of any artist earlier than the 19th century who gives us such telling portraits of himself and whose views permeate each of his works, no matter who or what he is painting.
As an example,I grew up with a tiny reproduction of Goya’s portrait of the four year old Don Manuel Osorio de Manrique Zuniga, who was the son of Count and Countess of Altimara, painted c. 1788. This fair-skinned child stands innocently poised in a refined red costume bound with lace and satin, holding a string tied to a magpie, whose beak clutches a card bearing Goya’s name as the artist. Back in the looming darkness to the proper right of the boy crouch three cats, waiting for the right moment to pounce on the bird. To the proper left of the child is a bird cage filled with smaller birds that are at least for now, safe from the cats’ reach. The child’s name is written in a fine script across the bottom of the painting. The symbolic elements of this piece keep me coming back to it day after day. What message is Goya hiding within this official portrait? Innocence and vulnerability contrast with the “evil” eyes of the cats, and only a tiny string stands between them and their prey.
Dallas is lucky to have a number of Goya’s works, to include first edition sets of his four great print series: La Tauromaquia, Los Disparates, Los Caprichos and Los Desatres de la Guerra. Due to the fragile nature of prints however, these are not always on view. They may be examined by appointment if you are interested.
One of the small gems in this show, if I may call it that, is “Yard with Madmen”, 1794, a 16 7/8 x 12 3/8 inches, oil on tin. Based on what Goya actually witnessed in a Spanish prison, where the criminally insane were kept in shackles along with the other law breakers, the small dark scene arrests the senses-prison brutality reigns and there is little hope for a better tomorrow.
Contrast this record of Goya’s life with the portrait of Charles IV completed five years earlier, and you have a good idea of the juxtaposition of circumstances that this show presents. I have only brushed over a few pieces, and mulled over a few perspectives on the show. There are certainly many more for you to explore. I hope that you will visit this gem of an exhibition in Dallas. It’s worth the trip.
Submitted by Kim Kolker, ISA AM
for Guernsey, Nelson, Kolker and Associates, Fine Art Appraisals
The Fine Art of Appraising
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