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Francisco de Goya the Painter had Tinnitus, hearing loss and imbalance

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Cityview:
Last year there was a show at the Boston MFA about Francisco de Goya, the famous painter. The show was called Goya: Order and Disorder. Along with the other themes of the show, was the embedded theme of imbalance. Apparently, Goya suffered from tinnitus, deafness, imbalance and a right-sided paralysis. As an artist, teacher, and painter myself, I'm always fascinated by the kinds of disabilities that famous artists suffered. The disability usually affects either the theme of the painting or the stylistic/technical qualities of the painting/art. In this case, Goya's figures are in a state of wobbly imbalance. His portraiture does not, however, reflect imbalance. He painted portraits for famous people of the time (royalty) in very traditional realism.

Other artist's have suffered disabilities, such as Claude Monet and his affected vision at the end of his life. His brushstrokes became looser and more abstract at the end of his life, probably due to his inability to see them clearly.

Henri Matisse was in a wheelchair at the end of his life. He had difficulty with his hands and with painting, so that's when he began to do his cut-outs with scissors. These were the paper cut-outs of leaves and shapes that he is now famous for.

Andy Warhol was very sick as a child. He spent lots of days home from school with an illness. He had a disease that caused him to lose his pigmentation. He spent many hours reading his comic books during these "sick days". This became a big reason why he used comic books, advertising and popular iconic images of the time in his Pop Art.

I really do like to point these disabilities out to students, because people with disabilities can achieve great things. Sometimes the disability is the factor that influences the success. In Goya's case, however, his disabilities caused him to become withdrawn and isolated and his work to become dark.

I find myself painting in a number of styles, but one of them is strict, rigid, straight-edged abstract shapes and forms. These forms are mathematical (some say). Forms seem to recede and protrude simultaneously. I wonder if I am trying to maintain a balance?

I have provided some quotes and some links if anyone is interested in Goya's work.

Another link is from a tinnitus support group. I have included it as a reference to Goya's tinnitus. I cannot vouch for the validity of that site as it relates to "medical issues." It's there as an art reference only.

I don't believe that Goya had an acoustic neuroma, but some sources said he died of cerebral thrombosis.

QUOTES AND LINKS


"The precarious relationship between order and discord, balance and imbalance, is fundamental to Goya’s work, and the subject of the section In the Balance. The theme appears vividly in images of the punishing forces of nature, figures losing their balance and others fighting. This topic is particularly noteworthy given the tumultuous social and political change during Goya’s lifetime, as well as the artist’s own struggles with illness, dizzy spells and deafness. The MFA’s print, The Agility and Audacity of Juanito Apiñani in the Ring at Madrid (Ligereza y atrevimiento de Juanito Apiñani en la de Madrid (Tauromaquia 20) (1815–16) depicts a precarious matador, who is poised midair as he vaults over a charging bull, anchored only by his upright pole." -Boston Museum of Fine Arts

http://www.mfa.org/news/goya

"There is a particular emphasis on Goya’s many images of flying, falling, swinging, and losing balance, which is very interesting, and on a broader dichotomy, captured in the show’s title, between order and disorder, which struck me as redundant. Life itself, after all, is a tussle between order and disorder, and so is all great art. "  - Boston Globe

https://www.bostonglobe.com/arts/2014/10/16/extraordinary-mfa-exhibit-shows-goya-full/NqcxnfZAaMRVFduarIvBdI/story.html

http://www.hilarymartinhiman.com/francisco-de-goya-1746-1828-spanish-artist-that-had-tinnitus-and-hearing-loss-from-a-severe-illness/

Article about hypotheses regarding his health

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3040580/

The curator Frederick Ilchman talks about Goya's preoccupation with balance and imbalance

http://www.mfa.org/node/409036

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