OldManGoya

In1792,whenhewasforty-seven,theSpanishpainterFranciscodeGoyacontractedaseriousillnesswhichlefthimstonedeaf.InthisextraordinarybookJuliaBlackburnfollowsGoyathroughtheremainingthirty-fiveyearsofhislife.Itwasatimeofpoliticalturmoil,ofwar,violenceandconfusion,andGoyatransformedwhathesawhappeningintheworldaroundhimintohisvisionarypaintings,drawingsandetchings.ThesewerealsoyearsoftendernessforGoya,ofintimaterelationshipswiththeDuchessofAlbaandwithLeocadia,hismistress,whowaswithhimtotheend.JuliaBlackburnwritesoftheelderlypainterwiththeintimacyofanoldfriend,seeingthroughhiseyesandsharingthesilenceinhishead,capturingperfectlyhisferociousenergy,hispassionandhisgenius.