Francisco Goya was an influential Spanish romantic painter and printmaker. He is regarded as one of the most important figures in Spanish art. Goya completed over 1,800 paintings, drawings, and engravings throughout his lifetime. Of these, 14 major paintings stand out as his most famous and impactful works.
Background on Francisco Goya
Francisco Goya was born in Fuendetodos, Spain in 1746. He began his artistic career as a painter of cartoons for tapestries. In 1775, Goya began working for the Spanish royal court and soon after began receiving commissions for portraits of nobles and royalty. Throughout his career, Goya enjoyed the patronage of Spain’s Charles IV and his wife, Maria Luisa.
In 1792, Goya contracted a serious illness that left him completely deaf. After recovering, his art took on a darker and more existential tone. He began creating prints called Los Caprichos, which satirized human foolishness and weakness. In the early 1800s, Goya created his famous Black Paintings, which were disturbing nightmare scenes painted directly onto the walls of his home.
Goya lived through a tumultuous period in Spanish history which included the Napoleonic Wars and subsequent French occupation of Spain. These events had a profound influence on his later works. As an official court painter, Goya had close ties to the Spanish monarchy, but was also heavily critical of armed conflict and repression. He died in self-imposed exile in France in 1828 at the age of 82.
The 14 Major Paintings of Francisco Goya
Throughout his prolific career, Goya created many remarkable paintings. However, there are 14 that stand out as his most famous, impressive, and pioneering works. These paintings span his career from the late 18th century to the early 19th century.
1. The Parasol (1777)
One of Goya’s earliest paintings, The Parasol depicts a young woman holding a parasol and wearing a majas dress. The maja was a prototypically Spanish style that arose in the late 18th century. This painting demonstrates Goya’s skill at depicting fabrics and accessories and offers insights into 18th century Spanish fashion trends.
2. The Swing (1777)
Another early work, The Swing shows a young woman swinging while two men look on–one holding the swing’s ropes, another hiding in the bushes. The painting’s playful eroticism reflects stylistic elements of Rococo art, though some of the facial features demonstrate Goya’s shift towards realism and naturalism.
3. The Naked Maja (circa 1797-1800)
This famously provocative painting depicts a nude woman reclining on a couch and gazing directly at the viewer. When it was painted, works featuring graphic nudity were rare in Spain. The Naked Maja was one of the first totally naked women depicted in Western art without mythological, biblical, or allegorical justification.
4. The Clothed Maja (circa 1797-1805)
A companion to The Naked Maja, this later painting depicts the same woman in the same pose, but clothed. She wears a maja dress and holds a fan. It is not definitively known if these two works were intended to be hung side by side. The contrast between the two emphasizes the impact of the subject’s nudity in the first work.
5. Caprichos (1799)
This series of 80 prints sharply satirizes human folly, ignorance, and superstition. Goya used imagery of witches, animal transformations, and haunting scenes to critique 18th century Spain’s social values and repressiveness. The Inquisition attempted to suppress this series, but it was ultimately released and had a major influence on later Surrealist and Expressionist artists.
6. The Family of Charles IV (1800)
This monumental group portrait depicts the Spanish royal family under Charles IV. Goya portrays the royals in a realistic, unflattering way that implies the corruption of their rule. The painting was removed from display when the French invaded Spain in 1808 after complaints from the royalty about their depiction.
7. The Nude Maja (circa 1800-1805)
The most famous of Goya’s “maja” paintings, this work features a nude woman gazing directly out at the viewer. When it was created, explicit nudes were rare in Spain. The provocative gaze of the subject is boldly challenging. Goya’s technical skill in rendering the human figure is also on full display.
8. The Third of May 1808 (1814)
This iconic and influential history painting memorializes Spanish resistance against Napoleon’s armies during the Peninsular War. The painting’s graphic depiction of firing squad executions was unprecedented at the time and conveys strong anti-war sentiment. The illuminated martyrdom of the rebels contrasts with the faceless, ominous French soldiers.
9. Saturn Devouring His Son (1819-1823)
One of Goya’s “Black Paintings,” this horrific mural depicts the Greek titan Cronus eating one of his children. It was painted directly onto the walls of Goya’s home when he was in his 70s. The visceral depiction of violence and terror reflects Goya’s disillusionment following the horrific violence of the Napoleonic Wars.
10. The Sleep of Reason Produces Monsters (from Los Caprichos, 1797-1799)
This iconic print depicts an artist asleep at his desk as owls and mysterious creatures flutter around him. It epitomizes the provocative message of the Caprichos series–that irrationality and inner demons haunt the human mind. Goya proclaimed that “fantasy abandoned by reason produces impossible monsters.”
11. Witches’ Sabbath (1789)
This eerie painting shows a coven of witches gathered around a billy goat for an occult ritual. A young woman flees in terror as ghosts fly above. It was created for the Chamber of the Inquisition at the Royal Palace of El Pardo. The inclusion of this work in a palace commissioned by the Spanish Inquisition shows Goya’s early interest in themes of witchcraft and the supernatural.
12. The Second of May 1808 (1814)
Along with its companion work The Third of May 1808, this painting depicts Spanish resistance against French forces during the Napoleonic Wars. It shows the uprising that precipitated the bloody reprisals of the third of May. The chaos and violence of urban warfare are vividly brought to life in this monumental canvas.
13. The Dog (1819-1823)
Another of Goya’s intensely haunting Black Paintings, this mural features a dog’s head emerging from darkness, gazing forward in fear. The rest of its body fades away into the blackness. The meaning of the work is enigmatic, but it conjures feelings of existential dread and the fading of life.
14. The Shootings of May Third 1808 (1814)
Also known as The Executions, this painting depicts the execution of Spanish rebels by French firing squads during the Peninsular War. The rifles pointing directly at the viewer increase the emotional impact and sense of accusation against the perpetrators. Along with its sister work The Third of May 1808, it is considered one of Goya’s undisputed masterpieces.
Key Characteristics of Goya’s Most Famous Paintings
Though created across different periods of his life and career, Goya’s 14 most famous paintings share some key common characteristics:
- Realism – Goya favored candid, unidealized depictions of his subjects, including royal patrons.
- Critique of Authority – Many works satirized and condemned the abuses of the Spanish Inquisition, monarchy, and armed conflict.
- Expressive Brushwork – His lively, fluid brushwork conveyed energy and emotion.
- Dark Subject Matter – Especially later in life, Goya explored intense, haunting themes of fear, violence, and alienation.
- Innovation – He pioneered new styles like Spanish Romanticism and Expressionism that deeply influenced later artists.
Significance and Legacy
Goya was one of the last old masters and one of the first modern masters. His audacious technical and thematic innovations influenced numerous later artistic movements from Romanticism to Surrealism. His unflinching depictions of war’s horrors inspired artists like Picasso, and his exploration of the shadows of the mind presaged Freudian psychoanalysis.
While embraced as a national hero in Spain, during his lifetime Goya was also controversial for his anti-clerical and anti-royal sentiments. His painting technique grew bolder and more experimental as he aged, leading to revolutionary approaches to brushwork and shadowing.
Goya’s 14 most famous paintings encapsulate the most significant phases and innovations of his storied career. His technical mastery, intimate realism, and timeless subject matter make these iconic works unforgettable and profoundly influential to this day. Goya’s uniquely imaginative and audacious genius shines through in each of these 14 masterpieces.