Conference: “Goya’s views of childhood”

The Hon. Mr. Dr. Joaquín Callabed, doctor in Medicine and Surgery, and Academician of the Royal Academy of Nobles and Fine Arts of San Luis de Zaragoza, an institution to which Francisco de Goya also belonged, will give the conference “Las miradas de Goya a la infancia”.

Presentation Description

The conference “Las miradas de Goya a la infancia”, given by Joaquín Callabed, offers a tour of the children’s universe captured in the work of Francisco de Goya, highlighting his illustrated and critical approach. The Tapestry Cards will be explored with scenes of children’s games, portraits of children of the nobility and works on social themes that combine the joy of childhood with a sharp denunciation of the inequalities of their time.

The analysis will place Goya in the context of the Enlightenment, showing how the ideas of thinkers such as Rousseau, Locke and Pestalozzi influenced his artistic and social vision. The influence of his teachers, José Luzán and Francisco Bayeu, and his evolution towards an innovative pictorial language that transcends neoclassicism and anticipates romanticism and impressionism will also be reviewed.

The conference will also address how Goya reflected childhood vulnerability in a Spain marked by poverty, war and educational and health deficiencies, achieving a deep psychological insight in his portraits. His legacy as a painter of childhood, both in popular scenes and in religious and palace works, continues to illuminate universal art and offer a unique look at the childhood of his time.