Goya's Prints: The Dawn of Modern Art November 28, 2009

The Blanton possesses some thirty prints by Spanish master Francisco de Goya (1746-1828), with several impressions from each of his major series. They include great rarities like El Embozado, which was left unfinished at his death, and a number of recent acquisitions such as a brilliant proof impression from Los Proverbios. A chance to encounter Goya's singular genius, this exhibition presents these prints as a group for the first time at The Blanton.

Printmaking as not just one of Goya's principal activities. The subjects of his celebrated Caprichos were inspired by popular imagery, sayings, and concerns that had never before reached the level of "high" art. In the Tauromaquia, bullfights became a pretext for upending traditional formal values, and later, a touchstone for artists from Manet to Picasso. His Disasters of War series was in stark contrast to the typical heroic renderings of historical events. His late works plumbed the imagination beyond rational limit, giving rise to some aspects of the later movements, Symbolism and Surrealism. In many ways, Goya's works represent a dawning of modern art.

The Blanton possesses some thirty prints by Spanish master Francisco de Goya (1746-1828), with several impressions from each of his major series. They include great rarities like El Embozado, which was left unfinished at his death, and a number of recent acquisitions such as a brilliant proof impression from Los Proverbios. A chance to encounter Goya's singular genius, this exhibition presents these prints as a group for the first time at The Blanton.

Printmaking as not just one of Goya's principal activities. The subjects of his celebrated Caprichos were inspired by popular imagery, sayings, and concerns that had never before reached the level of "high" art. In the Tauromaquia, bullfights became a pretext for upending traditional formal values, and later, a touchstone for artists from Manet to Picasso. His Disasters of War series was in stark contrast to the typical heroic renderings of historical events. His late works plumbed the imagination beyond rational limit, giving rise to some aspects of the later movements, Symbolism and Surrealism. In many ways, Goya's works represent a dawning of modern art.

Official Website: http://blantonmuseum.org