2. Hello everybody! We interviewed the Spanish painter Francisco de Goya y
Lucientes, who has risen from the dead to answer my questions about his life
and his famous paintings.
In the interview we will discuss the following points:
o His life.
o Tapestry cartoons
o Portraits.
o Religious paintings.
o Paintings of historical subject.
o Black paintings.
o Engravings.

3.  When and where were you born?
 I was born in Fuendetodos (Zaragoza)
the 30 of March in1746.
 Where did you study and where did
you work?
 I started to study in Zaragoza but in
the year 1770 I went to Italy. After a
few years, I started to work with
Francisco Bayeu in Madrid making
designs for tapestries.
 It seems that you had many problems
with your health during all your life..
 Yes, in 1792 I suffered a strange illness
that left me deaf. Then, in 1819 I had
an outbreak of yellow fever but my
friend Dr. Arrieta saved my life. Finally
in 1828 I died when I was 82 because
of the depression I felt during the exile
in Bordeaux but also because of a
stroke.

4.  What are the tapestry cartoons?
 The tapestry cartoons or designs are a series of works that I painted between
1775 and 1792 for the Royal Tapestry Factory of Santa Barbara. These
cartoons made me very famous!
 What did you paint in those cartoons?
 I painted many scenes of everyday life, such as festivals or scenes of the city
and the countryside, everything with a cheerful character.
 Which is your favorite painting in this series?
 My favourite work is Picnic on the Banks of the Manzanares. I painted it in a
very detailed way, paying great attention to in the facial expressions of the
characters that appear in it. They eat, dance, drink and sing and enjoy the
beautiful day.

5.  Who were your models?
 I painted a lot of portraits of the royal family
and of members of the nobility but I also
painted ordinary people.
 How did you paint the portraits?
 I painted not only their physical appearance
but also their feelings.
 Which is your favourite portrait?
 The portrait of the stupid and vicious
Bourbon king Fernando VII . I painted him
with an ugly face because he treated the
people very badly.

6.  What kind of religious-themed paintings did
you do?
 I used to paint frescoes in churches, like the
basilica Del Pilar in Zaragoza. My painting of
Christ on the cross is famous.

7.  What did you represent in
these paintings?
 I represented the episodes
of the war of independence
with France.
 What are your favourite
paintings of this period?
 My favourites are La carga
de los mamelucos . In this
work I show the panic and
hatred that was felt in
Madrid that day and Los
fusilamientos del tres de
mayo because in this work I
try to show what people feel
before dying.

8.  What led you to create the black paintings?
 War and disease made me suffer a lot. I painted them to decorate the
walls of my house because I felt old and sad.
 How would you describe the type of painting you did in this period?
 I painted them as symbols of horror and madness. I used to eat my
meals looking at my painting Saturn devouring his son.

9.  How many series of engravings have you done? Can you describe
them?
 I made ​​four series, one of them are Los caprichos where I show the
abuses of the church and some scenes of witchcraft. Also, there are the
disasters of war which teach the atrocities during the war, another series
are the nonsenses that show monsters and finally La tauromaquia which
is dedicated to bullfighting.

10. Goya’s life
Where was Francisco de Goya born?
Fuendetodos Collado Villalba Fuenteovejuna
In which of these countries did Goya study?
Germany England Italy
Click to the
correct answer

11. Tapestry cartoons
For whom did Goya paint the tapestry cartoons?
Royal Tapestry Factory
Prado MuseumRoyal Palace
Which feeling do they represent?
CheerfulAggressive Serious

12. Portraits
Look at this picture (Portrait of
Fernando VII) and answer the
question.
How do you think this
person treat the people?
Inconsiderately
Impartially
Kindly

13. Religious paintings
In which Cathedral can you see this fresco ?
Basilica del Pilar in Zaragoza Cathedral in Burgos

14. Paintings of historical subject
Look at this picture
(Fusilamientos del 3 de
Mayo) and answer the
question.
Which war is represented?
Hundred years war
Independence War
Second World War

15. Black paintings
Look at the picture Saturn devouring his
son and answer the question.
What is the predominant
colour of this picture?
What feeling does it transmit?
Disappointment
Desbelief
Happiness

16. Engravings
This engraving is called “the
student knows more than the
teacher”. What does this
engraving represent?
Love
Fraternity
Elegance
Reality

17.  Tomo nº2. Colección: Los grandes genios
del arte. Editorial: El Mundo.
 Libro 4º ESO. Historia. Editorial: Oxford.