- Cronología
- Ca. 1827 - 1828
- Ubicación
- Museum Oskar Reinhart, Winterthur, Switzerland
- Dimensiones
- 60 x 50 cm
- Técnica y soporte
- Oil on canvas
- Reconocimiento de la autoría de Goya
- Undisputed work
- Titular
- Oskar Reinhart Foundation
- Ficha: realización/revisión
- 29 Mar 2010 / 15 Jun 2023
- Inventario
- (1937.3)
This portrait was painted by Goya in Bordeaux, shortly before his death.
José Pío de Molina was Mayor of Madrid for a few months in 1820, during the Liberal Triennium. When this came to an end, in 1823, he went into exile in Bordeaux. There he was Goya's neighbour, becoming a friend of the painter during his final years. On the day Goya died, 16 April 1828, José Pío de Molina was at his bedside and was the person who signed his death certificate. This portrait is generally considered to be the last work by Goya before his death.
In the portraits that he painted between 1824 and the end of his life, Goya used a limited colour palette and dark tones. His vision had been affected by his advanced age and his paintings had begun to take on the appearance of unfinished works. His trembling brushstrokes gave these works dynamism and a great sense of expressiveness.
This portrait of Goya's friend and neighbour is typical of the period both for its darkness and, in particular, for its unfinished appearance. The subject is shown from the waist up, in half profile, turning to the right. He is wearing a brown jacket with white shirt and tie. The lightest brushstrokes are found on the sitter's clothes, which is also the most unfinished part of the work. His face, also left largely suggested using light brushwork, does not appear to have been left unfinished, however, and wears an intense expression, perhaps revealing the man's concern about the imminent death of Goya. The result is a work that is far ahead of its time, more in keeping with works from the end of the 19th century.
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L'œuvre peint de Goya. 4 volsParís1928-1950vol. II, p. 236, cat. 527
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Vie et ouvre de Francisco de GoyaParísOffice du livre1970pp. 356, 361, cat. 1666
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BarcelonaPolígrafa1970vol. I, p. 389, cat. 768
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L’opera pittorica completa di GoyaMilanRizzoli1974p. 137, cat. 695
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Francisco de Goya, 4 vols.ZaragozaCaja de Ahorros de Zaragoza, Aragón y Rioja1980-1982vol. IV, p. 223