The world famous paintings "Maja Nude", as well as "Maja Dressed", which depicts a medieval beauty, were created by the great Spanish painter Francisco de Goya at the turn of the 18th and 19th centuries. Several mysterious stories are associated with these two canvases.
Biography of Francisco de Goya
The famous Spanish artist Francisco Goya Lucientes, considered one of the first masters of the era of romanticism, was born in 1746 in Zaragoza in the family of a gilding master. The middle-class family soon moved to the village of Fuendetodos, 40 kilometers from Madrid.
The future great painter, like his brothers, received a rather superficial education in his youth and, as a result, wrote with mistakes. From the age of 14, the boy was sent as an apprentice to an art workshop. However, in the first years of his creative work, the future great artist experienced many failures. So, when the young man dared to submit his work to the competition for the best copy of the plaster Silenus, not a single vote was given for his creation. Goya later admits that he has real hatred for the casts.
After the artist turned 20, he moved to the capital, however, even there, at first, only failures awaited him - his work was not appreciated in a competition at the Academy of San Fernando. Goya came to fame after creating sketches for the ceiling of the chapel of the architect Ventura Rodriguez, which were favorably received by the chapter. After the work was completed, Goya received an offer to design an oratorio in the Sobradiel Palace. At the same time, the artist finds a patron in the person of the noble Aragonese Ramon Pignatelli.
There is also such an opinion: during the creation of these paintings, the artist resorted to the services of various models, and the “dressed” Mach was painted before “naked”.
The history of the creation of "Mahi Nude"
For several centuries, there has been a debate about who was the model for the paintings, which depict a beautiful woman. According to the opinion, which is most widespread among European art critics, both canvases were painted with the Duchess of Alba, who had a rather long romance with the artist. The descendants of the aristocrat perceived these assumptions as offensive and even decided to open the tomb where the duchess rested in order to refute this version.
However, it was not possible to carry out a special examination. The descendants of the Duchess of Alba were going to bring in experts to measure her bones and prove that she had completely different proportions from the size of Maha. The study did not take place, since in the past the grave was already opened by Napoleonic soldiers, after which the state of the remains simply did not allow measurements. Thus, the debate on this matter continues
A lot of books and feature films have been devoted to Goya's work, and some of them are dedicated to the creation of these paintings - "Naked mahi" and "Dressed mahi". Also, one of the craters on Mercury is named after the artist.
There is also a legend that the very first show of "Maha Nude" ended in a real scandal, causing a public outcry. Some said that the reason for this was the obvious resemblance of Mahi to the Duchess of Alba. Others - that the modern woman was depicted naked. One way or another, after some time, the artist created another Mach, this time in a costume typical for those years. "Maha Dressed" was more in line with the mores and tastes of the public of that era, therefore it was received much more favorably.
