Anderson_ObjectAnnotation7

ContextFrancisco Goya painted Saturn Devouring His Son throughout 1819 and 1823 during his years later while living alone at his house, La Quinta del Sordo ("The House of the Deaf Man"). The work is part of the Black Paintings, which is a series of 14 personal and disturbing murals Goya made directly on the walls of where he lived. These were not commissioned by a patron or supposed to be for public display, which let Goya explore darker, unrestrained themes which is similar to his disillusionment with humanity and society. This period came after the turbulence of the Napoleonic Wars, the Spanish Inquisition, and Goya’s personal struggles with illness and deafness. The painting reflects the gloom of the era, where there was a lot of political instability and social uprisings. Goya's Spain was very religious, and the mythological story of Saturn (a Titan devouring his children to prevent them from overthrowing him) was fitting for themes of power, betrayal, and destruction that resonated with the culture of repression and fear. This work was originally located on Goya's dining room walls and the painting had no function but instead served as a psychological exploration as well as private expression of his darkest thoughts.

SubjectThe painting shows the mythological figure Saturn (Cronus in Greek mythology) eating one of his children to prevent a prophecy that one of his offspring would overthrow him. Saturn's insane appearance and his scary act of violence reflect themes of madness, fear, and greed. This subject would have been known to viewers familiar with classical mythology, though Goya's interpretation separates from traditional showings by ensuring raw brutality instead of idealized heroism. The subject is a metaphor for the destructive nature of power and the consuming fear of mortality. It also critiques the violence of human history, connecting with the societal collapse Goya witnessed.

StyleThe painting is painted in a loose, expressive style which is similar to Goya’s Black Paintings. The composition is stark and confrontational, with Saturn’s massive, grotesque figure dominating the dark background. Goya’s brushstrokes are rough and visceral, which correlates with the raw texture of Saturn’s flesh and the bloodyness of his child. The work is almost monochromatic with a lot of earthy tones of brown, black, and grey, with intense red accents in the blood. The lighting is dramatic, creating an eerie contrast that leads attention to Saturn’s intense, bulging eyes and the lifeless body of his child. The figures aren’t naturalistic or idealized but stylized to create a sense of horror and revulsion. This is a very expressive style, which prefigures modernist movements such as Expressionism and was very unconventional for the early 19th century. This further underscored the personal and experimental nature of the work. The use of oil paint directly on plaster also reflects how intimate the piece is.

Through Paul Barolsky’s reading Looking At Venus: A Brief History of Erotic Art, the concept of eroticism is a crucial part of art and how it interacts with beauty, desire, and the complexities of human nature. While Goya’s piece may seem removed from the classical ideals of erotic art, it has some of the tensions Barolsky discusses, such as the dark and gross facets of physicality and desire: “The very act of concealing the mons veneris is an opportunity for the painter to suggest the delicate play between hair and flesh, to suggest the pressure of the fingers in her hair in such a way that the viewer’s own sense of touch is quickened” (Barolsky 95). The clear portrayal of Saturn’s hold on his son’s body, tearing into flesh, is similar to the tactile qualities Barolsky describes, which is revulsion rather than desire that overtakes the viewer's emotional response. Through Anja Foerschiner’s reading Food, Decay, and Disgust: Paul McCarthy’s Bossy Burger as Contemporary Still Life, the topics of disgust and repulsion in art are discussed and how those feelings were brought out through McCarthy’s exhibition where there was a bunch of food being thrown by a chef. Disgust is defined to be, ”it is triggered by a transgression of physical and psychological boundaries” (Foerschiner 98). In McCarthy’s work the performance is supposed to transgress these boundaries through food as an uncontrolled disregarding of norms in consumption and preparation. This can also be shown in this quote: "The experimentation with food in excess in Bossy Burger violates the rules and restrictions with which food is encoded. Furthermore, the work transgresses the principles of hygiene, cleanliness, and order that are fundamental to consumer society...McCarthy ventures dangerously close to the 'lower' instincts that are supposed to be all but omitted in today’s ideal of food consumption” (Foerschiner 97). This shows how McCarthy’s use of food disrupts social norms and creates a visceral reaction through this disorder and primal instinct. This contrasts directly with the ideas of sanitized consumption. This relates to Goya’s painting because both challenge these societal norms to try to bring out feelings of unease and greater reflection on human nature.

The themes of arousal and erotics come up in Goya’s painting through the intense, obsessive hunger that combines with themes of violence and desire. The image of Saturn consuming his son is grotesque yet intimate, hinting at a form of eroticism where power and lust combine into an all consuming force. The psychological intensity in Saturn and the act of him eating his child emphasize how untamed desire can lead to madness. In this way, the painting reflects the darker, more pathological aspects of eroticism, where desire/arousal becomes overwhelming. The themes of disgust and repulsion come up intensely through the raw depiction of a father consuming his own child. The violent, cannibalistic act transgresses both physical and psychological boundaries. There is a visceral reaction of horror as Saturn's distorted and manic face and act create a scene that shocks the viewer but also goes against the natural way of parental love and protection. This unsettling violation of familial bonds and the grotesque depiction of the human body evokes feelings of disgust, making the painting an intense visual representation of repulsion. These feelings of disgust and pleasure are linked in the brain very closely and Goya’s piece does a good job of connecting these feelings in a distorted way.