Francisco Goya de Luciente’s “Desastres de la Guerra,” now being exhibited at the Peter Blum Gallery, is an astonishing exercise in paradox. How could an artist with such sobering morals have such a twisted imagination? How can such repulsive images be so magnetizing to the eye? Gallery director Yana Balson likened this beautiful horror to Edmund Burke’s theory of the sublime. Burke saw aesthetic value in the most grotesque images, for they had the power to evoke intense human reaction. “The Disasters of War” series falls into this category: the scenes disturb us, yet we are fascinated by them.
In plate 39, (Grande hazana, Con Muertos!) Goya takes three dismembered corpses and reconstructs them into decorative sculptures of flesh. The etching’s title (Great deeds! With dead men!) takes on additional meaning, both a sarcastic denunciation of war and a tribute to the talent of Goya himself.
A greater duality exists, however, when one considers how the gallery has taken one of the finest achievements of this 19th century master and reinterpreted it in a modern context. On one hand, we can appreciate the quality of the works for themselves- a rare treat for the New York public, having not been shown in the city for years. On the other, the show obviously functions as a commentary on current times. Goya’s works serve as reminders that the war in Iraq and other ongoing violence today is not just history repeating itself; it is the folly of human nature. As Ms. Balson said:
“One can take from these works that history will inevitably repeat itself as long as man does not learn from the past, but it is undeniable that in this series, as in some other works by Goya, he is not entirely hopeful that mankind will ever change.”
Notwithstanding, it takes a bit of effort to digest Goya’s art in a contemporary fashion. For one, it is initially jarring to see these works placed within the antiseptic space of the white cube. Goya’s drawings are usually behind glass cases in darkened museum rooms. OMNP also wondered how effective these images really do relate to the violence of our day. How would the show compare to more direct and explicit condemnations of current tragedies, like the Marlborough gallery’s 2006 exhibition of Fernando Botero’s Abu Ghraib paintings ?
OMNP did find that relationship, however, in some of the scenes of Goya’s female victims, such as plate 52 “They Do Not Arrive on Time,” which bears a similarity to the footage of grieving Middle-Eastern women that flash across our television screens on a daily basis. This link may be a superficial devaluing of the original context of Goya’s work, but it keeps his timeless message intact, if not making it all the more resounding. This is a great show not to be missed; kudos to the Peter Blum Gallery for putting this one on.
FURTHER:
Francisco Goya: “Disasters of War” Series at Peter Blum Gallery, 99 Wooster Street, NYC
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