Concepts of the Grotesque before Goya

Concepts of the Grotesque before Goya PA UL I LIEbaZYXWVUTSRQPONMLKJIHGFEDCBA T h e c ru e l, d a rk fa n ta sie s o f G o y e sq u e sa tire , said B a u d e la ire , w ere m o d e rn in sp irit, n o lo n g e r jo v ia l o r g ay as in C e rv a n te s’ tim e , b u t v io le n t, fu ll o f th e b la n k h o rro rs o f n a tu re , a n d in lo v e w ith th e u n g ra sp a b le .1 W e m ig h t a d d th a t th e g ro te sq u e in G o y a is m o re a p o in t o f d e p a rtu re fo r ro m a n tic d e fo rm a tio n s o f re a lity th a n th e c u lm in a tio n o f a n e ig h te e n th -c e n tu ry g ro te sq u e . It is sim p le e n o u g h to re c o g n iz e th e sim ila ritie s b e tw e e n th e G o y e sq u e n ig h tm a re a n d an e a rlie r S p a n ish tra d itio n . B u t th is re la tio n sh ip w as n o t w h a t a ro m a n tic lik e G a u tie r h a d in m in d w h e n h e c o m p a re d th e fu ry a n d g lo o m o f th e caprichos w ith H o ffm a n n ’s ta le s a n d D e la c ro ix ’s illu stra tio n s fo r Faust, F o r u s to re g a rd G o y a in th is w a y as p rim a rily a p re c u rso r o f ro m a n tic ism d o e s n o t re q u ire u s to ig n o re th e a sp e c ts o f m o ra l sa tire b e a rin g k in sh ip to th e sa tiric a l sk e tc h e s o f C a d a lso , Isla, a n d V illa rro e l; a n d fro m th e g ro te sq u e p o rtra its in V illa rro e l to th e ir a n te c e d e n ts in G ra c ia n a n d Q u e v e d o is b u t o n e sh o rt ste p . H o w e v e r, m y a ssu m p tio n fo r th is p a p e r, a n d I th in k it is easily p ro v e n , is th a t w h a t a ttra c te d B a u d e la ire a n d G a u tie r w as th e irra tio n a l a n d p riv a te v isio n in G o y a . T h e m a jo r e sth e tic v alu es o f th e e ig h te e n th c e n tu ry m a y h av e b e e n a t w o rk in G o...