From his so-called
Black Paintings painted in oil on the walls of his house,
Saturn Devouring His Children was one product of
Francisco Goya' misanthropic and
pessimistic style. Based on the myth of
Saturn (Time).Losing power to his childrens' ends he glares in lunatic frenzy while devouring part of a small body clutched in his hands. Goya
emphasizes
the gruesomeness.... forms are
torn and
jagged, the colors
raw. Here , Goya's tragic vision returns to the
haunted interior world of
The Sleep of Reason Produces Monsters. Depicting what happens when humans are without reason saying the subject, man,
cannot out-wit destiny.
This appalling late work is not only a savage expression of man's inhumanity to man, but a recognition of the desperate conditions of life itself.
Life is in time, and time devours all.
Bibliography
Lometa. "Artists and Art in the Classroom." Tucson, Arizona.
1994. (Lecture presented at St Joseph's Catholic School.)
Justus, Kevin. "Art and Culture II." Tucson , Arizona.
1992. (Lecture presented at Pima Community College.)
De La Croix, Horst, Richard D. Tansey, and Diane Kirkpatrick.
Art Through the Ages. University of Michigan: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich.
1991.
You may view an image of this work at
Mark Harden's Artchive:
http://www.artchive.com/artchive/G/goya/saturn.jpg.html