The story of the two paintings of the lady Maja for the prime minister Duke Manual de Godoy. The paintings La Maja Desnuda and La Maja Vestida showed the subject in the same pose but for one difference.
A playboy prime minister gets two paintings of his mistress made - one where she is nude and one where she is clothed. She is holding the same pose on the same chair in both paintings. He then installs the paintings together so that only the clothed one is normally shown. However, with the single pull of a lever, the paintings switch and the nude version is now displayed. Meanwhile, the talented artist that painted the mistress is visited by the inquisition, who takes away his position as painter of the royal court as punishment for his creation of the obscene nude painting.
Does this sound like a work of fiction or the realities of our world? A true story or a myth? He story is definitely true, though it does not reflect the realities of our world of today, but rather the beginning of the 19th century. The artist was acclaimed painter Francisco Goya, the prime minister Duke Manual de Godoy and the paintings two of Goya's most celebrated master pieces, La Maja Desnuda and La Maja Vestida. The inquisition was also very real as any student of Spanish history can testify.
The story still continues to fascinate, however. To have the audacity to not only have these paintings made by his mistress, but to install a mechanical system to allow them to be shown as needed attracts smiles. The fate of Goya for painting them is less amusing but nevertheless serves to not only being realism but also a sense of injustice and disbelief to the story.
Anyway, whatever the deeper points of the story, only two things remain of it today: La Maja Desnuda (The Nude Maja) and La Maja Vestida (The Clothed Maja). Both are among the supreme master pieces by Goya, himself among the most celebrated Spanish artists of all time and regarded as the last of the old masters. The paintings were never exhibited during Goya's own lifetime. Rather, they were first in the possession of Manual de Godoy and were seized by the Spanish inquisition following his fall from grace. It was also at this time that Goya was questioned and lost his royal court painter position. The paintings were not returned to the Academy of Fine Arts in San Fernando until 1836, eight years after Goya himself had passed away.
Still, The Maja paintings stand as Goya's true depiction of the idealized female form of the age. Yet, while such celebrations of female beauty were frowned upon by the church, other Goya paintings like "Satan Devouring his Son", one of Goya's black paintings, were readily accepted.
Either way, all three of these paintings can today be found at the Prado museum in Madrid, Spain, where they are all recognized for the artistic master pieces they are. There are no mechanical pulleys or other systems that allows you to move one Maja in front of the other, however. Rather, the paintings hang right there next to each other, to be taken in and enjoyed. They hang there as examples of the artistic mastery of Goya, of his perfect depiction of the female form, and while they are there they tell the story of their creation and the immense fuzz that created in early 19th century Spain.
Metropolitan Art in Motion: A Cultural Odyssey
The allure of metropolitan areas for art aficionados often lies in the rich tapestry of cultural offerings, particularly the museums that house the world's artistic treasures. These urban centers boast an array of prestigious institutions, each with its own unique collections that beckon visitors from around the globe. From the Tate in London to the Louvre in Paris, the art world's grandeur is on full display. Yet, for those who seek an unparalleled museum experience, New York City stands as a cultural colossus, with the Metropolitan Museum of Art reigning supreme.
Thomas Cole and Titans Goblet
American painter Thomas Cole is best known for his detailed depictions of the American countryside, depicted in accordance with the tenets of Romanticism and Naturalism. As a founder of the Hudson River School, Cole was instrumental in this development and depiction of the American landscape. However, not all landscapes depicted by Cole were based on actual existing locations.
The Vagabond Prince
In the early 20th century, Paris was the center of the Avant-Garde art scene. Here, masters like Picasso and Matisse were practicing their crafts at the leading edge of artistic developments.
