Portrait of Countess Carpio, Marquise de la Solana – Francisco de Goya

Description of the picture:

Portrait of Countess Carpio, Marquise de la Solana – Francisco de Goya. 1794-1795. Canvas, oil. 181×122

   Francisco de Goya (1746-1828), a painter of Spanish romanticism, is also known for portraits of aristocrats. The hand of the court painter created a gallery of images of the Spanish nobility. More popular are his portraits of women. Goya’s ladies are always mysterious, despite the detailed elaboration of vestments and accessories, in their form there is always a lot of unsaid.

   Such and “Portrait of Countess Carpio, Marquise de la Solana”. On a conditional black background, usual for portraits of Goya, the slender figure of the countess clearly looms. She is dressed in a serious dark dress and is wrapped in an airy light shawl. Between her and the viewer there is an insurmountable mental barrier built by an arrogant model and professionally transmitted by the artist. But the image of this proud aristocrat seems lonely and tragic. The background, on which several obscure plans go into the distance, is guessed, gives rise to a feeling of something fatal, mysterious and inevitable in her personality.

   The painting entered the Louvre in 1952."