The Colossus (painting)
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This article may be expanded with text translated from the corresponding article in the Spanish Wikipedia. (March 2009) Click [show] on the right for instructions.
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| Spanish: El Coloso | |
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| Artist | follower of Goya[1] |
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| Year | 1808-1812 |
| Type | Oil on canvas |
| Dimensions | 116 cm × 105 cm (46 in × 41 in) |
| Location | Museo del Prado, Madrid |
The Colossus (also known as Giant) (Spanish: El Coloso) is a painting at one time attributed to Francisco de Goya, but now believed to have been painted by an apprentice, probably Asensio Juliá.[2] In January 2009, the Museo del Prado reported that an investigation of the painting's authorship had proved inconclusive: "The findings to this date do not confirm that the author was Juliá, the painting can only be attributed to a follower of Goya".[1]
The Colossus was painted between 1808 and 1812. It is possible that it is the painting identified as The Giant in the inventory of Goya's goods in 1812, the year in which they became the property of his son, Javier Goya.[3] Later it was owned by Pedro Fernández Durán, who passed his collection onto the Museo del Prado, where The Colossus has been kept since 1931.
The work has been interpreted in many ways, having received other names, including The Panic and The Storm.[4]
[edit] Painting
The enormous body of the giant takes up the centre of the composition. It seems to adopt an aggressive posture, judging by the position of the arm and the closed fist. The painting was painted during the Peninsular War, and could represent this war. Nigel Glendenning affirms that the painting is based in a patriotic poem by Juan Bautista Arriaza called The Pyrenean Prophecy. In this poem the Spanish population is presented as a giant emerging from the Pyrenees to confront the Napoleonic invasion. The giant's attitude has been the object of various interpretations. It is not known whether he is walking or standing. His posture is also ambiguous; he could be amongst the mountains or buried up to his knees, in a similar vein to other of the Black Paintings such as Fight With Cudgels. The giant's eyes are closed, which could represent blind violence.
Contrasting with the stolid figure of the giant, small figures of villagers in the valley seem to be fleeing in all directions, with the exception of a donkey which remains calm, which Luna notes could symbolise the incomprehension of war. [5]
[edit] Doubts over authorship
In 2008, the Museo del Prado announced[6] that there were reasons to suspect that the painting was actually painted by Asensio Juliá,[7] an apprentice of Goya's, as the painting contained the initials AJ in the lower left hand corner of the canvas. As a result of these suspicions the painting was not included in the museum's exhibition Goya in Times of War, a retrospective of Goya's works from the Peninsula War.
After performing accurate studies of the painting for about 20 years, Manuela Mena, curator at the Museo del Prado, who is also a Goya expert, came to the conclusion that The Colossus was not in Goya's style. She has also expressed her doubts regarding three other paintings attributed to Goya.[8] In January 2009, the museum announced officially that they believed Asensio Juliá to be the most likely artist. The museum identified 16 separate points that marked Julia's authorship, including the initials.[2]
[edit] References
- ^ a b "Prado Museum Determines that Colossus is not an Original Goya", sgallery.net, 27 Jan 2009.
- ^ a b "Spain's Prado Names Painter of Colossus" (in English). Associated Press. 2009-01-26. http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2009/01/26/world/AP-EU-Spain-Colossus.html. Retrieved 2009-01-26.[dead link]
- ^ This painting, according to Nigel Glendinning (op. cit., 1993, p. 140.) «was painted between this date [1808] and that of 1812, when the painted was inventories amongst those who became owned by the painter's son, after the death of this mother, Ms. Josefa Bayeu. The title of 'The Giant was given in this inventory[...]».
- ^ L. Cirlot (dir.), Museo del Prado II, Col. «Museos del Mundo», Tomo 7, Espasa, 2007. ISBN 978-84-674-3810-9, pág. 83
- ^ Juan J. Luna, «El coloso» [online], inCatalogue of the exposition in the Museo de Zaragoza from the 3rd October to the 1st December1996, nº 43: El coloso.
- ^ Wood, Danny (2008-06-26). "Spain gallery casts doubt on Goya". BBC News (BBC). http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7475405.stm. Retrieved 2008-06-27.
- ^ "'El Coloso' "casi seguro" que no era de Goya" (in Spanish). El País. 2008-06-26. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7475405.stm. Retrieved 2008-06-27.
- ^ Nash, Elizabeth (2008-06-27). "It's official: 'Goya work' was painted by his pupil". The Independent. Archived from the original on 2010-07-10. http://web.archive.org/web/20100701010554/http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/its-official-goya-work-was-painted-by-his-pupil-855408.html. Retrieved 2011-12-30.
