First published 2002
Francisco de Goya loses his hearing at forty-seven when illness strikes in 1792. The Spanish painter must navigate the remaining decades of his life in complete silence while political chaos engulfs his country. War and violence surround him as he creates his most visionary works. Blackburn traces Goya's path through the towns he knew, reading letters he sent to a childhood friend across the years. She examines his relationships with the Duchess of Alba and his devoted mistress Leocadia, who stays with him until death. The author investigates the subjects who posed for his portraits and immerses herself in the world that shaped his art. Blackburn writes with the familiarity of someone who knew Goya personally, seeing what he saw and experiencing the quiet that filled his head. This biographical approach combines historical research with intimate observation to reveal how deafness transformed both the man and his creative vision during Spain's most turbulent period.
Genres: biography, art, historical-fiction, 20th-century, 19th-century, art-history
Vibes: atmospheric, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: character-study, historical-figure
Setting: Spain
Period: 1792, 19th-century
256 pages · Hardcover · Pantheon