Goya, the Honest Portrait Artist

If you ask most portrait artists, they’ll tell you they often have to walk a fine line when painting someone’s portrait. Yes, they have to create a reasonable likeness, but most subjects also want to be presented in a flattering light. I would imagine the pressure to strike a balance is even more intense when your subject is a royal monarch. It’s easy when you’ve got an attractive subject, but what about the not-so-attractive?

Over the centuries, many royals have chosen an artist to act as the official royal court painter, often an artist who has achieved some level of fame and respect. England’s Henry VIII had Hans Holbein, Spain’s Philip IV picked Diego Velazquez, England’s Charles I worked with Anthony van Dyck, and royalty across Europe turned to Peter Paul Rubens.  

Somewhat surprisingly, King Carlos III of Spain chose a young and relatively unknown artist named Francisco de Goya, who rapidly rose to fame and remained the court painter for the four Spanish rulers who followed. It’s obvious that Goya had no reservations about painting his royal subjects with total honesty, exactly the way he saw them, even if he made them look goofy or arrogant or perhaps a little bit mentally unstable. In fact, in his own time and to this day, Goya is recognized for his ability to capture his subjects’ character as well as their likeness.

When I look at some of these portraits, I’m amazed his subjects went along with it. Goya’s attitude toward his subjects is often plainly evident, and it’s often critical. I sometimes think that if anyone had painted Henry VIII looking like this, he’d be shouting “Off with his head!” But when I was researching Goya’s life for Greed Comes for Goya, I got the feeling he had a deep respect for Carlos III. Although they could never be friends or equals, I imagined them having a warm regard for each other.

Being named court painter was and still is a huge honor. After all, portraits of monarchs hang in the most prestigious of places where they’re examined for centuries. So, if you’re going to paint a king or queen, you may be faced with an interesting choice to make. Goya chose honesty.