The painting hangs in one of the great museums of the world, the Museo del Prado in Madrid. And for many years it was one of the public’s most appreciated works in the museum’s vast collection. Thought to have been painted between 1808 and 1812, one of the so-called “Black Paintings” by Spanish genius Francisco de Goya, the canvas depicts an enormous naked man, fists clenched and eyes closed, towering over a village from which tiny people and animals flee in terror.
The painting is most commonly known as “The Colossus,” but has variously been called “The Giant,” “The Panic,” and “The Storm.” It is thought to have been inspired by the Juan Battista Arriaza poem “The Prophecy of the Pyrenees,” or is perhaps a metaphorical depiction of war. Until very recently, “The Colossus” has been included in Goya’s canon, but tests and research have cast doubt on this attribution.
The Restoration of “The Colossus”
The doubts began swirling in earnest nearly a decade ago, when the Prado began a systematic restoration of the popular work. Close examination and x-rays seemed to indicate that the technique of the painting differed from the technique generally employed by Goya. The colors seemed a little lifeless, the brushstrokes insecure and hesitant. The materials used also appeared to be inferior to those regularly used by Goya.
While it is true that several undisputed paintings from Goya’s “black” period demonstrate similar themes and color palettes to “The Colossus,” some experts began to think that the work could not possibly have been done by the Spanish master.
Mysterious Initials or Numbers
X-rays of the painting revealed one clue in particular that caused a major reassessment. In the bottom left corner of the canvas, there are what appear to be the top halves of two letters, A and J. Experts take this as suggestive that the painting was done by Asensio Juliá, who was Goya’s assistant in the master’s later years.
Other experts, though, including Nigel Glendinning, a British art historian, argue that the so-called “initials” might actually just be the tops of the numbers “18,” suggesting the year in which the painting was done. Glendinning also points out that Goya’s style and use of certain materials was not particularly consistent. Other Goya scholars have pointed to the fact that an 1812 inventory of Goya’s works included a piece called “un gigante,” which could have been a reference to “The Colossus.”
“Goya” Painting Gets a Downgrade
Despite the handful of naysayers, the decision of the Prado experts was made quite clear in 2009, when “The Colossus” was deliberately left out of their “Goya in Times of War” exhibition. They also later made it known to the media that the painting was probably the work of Asensio Juliá.
The painting will for now remain in its place in the Prado, in a room with other Goya works, but the plaque containing Goya’s attribution has been removed and replaced with a plaque assigning the painting to “a follower of Goya.” Experts say they will need to do a great deal more analysis before they can be entirely confident in attributing “The Colossus” definitively to Juliá.
Source:
- Tremlett, Giles. “Goya’s Colossus actually painted by his assistant, says expert.” Guardian.co.uk. Jan 27, 2009. Mar 15, 2010.
Jenny Ashford - Jenny Ashford is a writer and graphic artist from central Florida. Her main area of interest in her Suite 101 articles is science, with a ...
