Francisco De Goya Luciente’s The Drowning Dog

The artwork ‘The Dog’ by Francisco de Goya Lucientes was very enigmatic from right from the first glance. From the lingering shadow, to the dog’s expression, there were many ambiguous and vague details which left a lot to the interpretation of the viewer themselves. The painting was called many things by different viewers and artists, such as “The Drowning Dog” or “The Sinking Dog”, which just shows the many different ways the audience interpreted this scene. Many viewed this scene as as a dog finding himself stuck behind a ledge, unable to escape the hidden doom that is awaiting him.

Although the circumstances of the dog remained a mystery as the surrounding environment gave no hint of what was happening, it was evident from the way that Goya painted the expression upon the face of the dog that he was very melancholy and despondent. He appeared to have much anxiety and fear, as if the shadow that loomed in the corner of the artwork was a lurking monster that the dog could not escape. The upper section of the artwork was painted in a rather dappled texture, using thick, heavy brushstrokes in a colour palette made up of a mixture of muddy yellows, dirty whites, browns, and greys which created a vast empty ‘sky’.

The vastness of the upper section which is so barren added to the drama of the piece, making the dog appear that more insignificant and small in comparison, and that much more vulnerable. The use of this large upper section created negative space and added to the overall feeling of impending doom, and that the dog faces a horror much larger than itself. The scene in which the painting is set is also very ambiguous. It was hard to know where abouts the dog is, with the setting being very vague and 2 dimensional.

The dog added depth to the painting which is only achieved through his presence. If the painting were to have not had the dog within it, the landscape would have been very flat and seeming to appear on one plain, whereas the dog’s presence immediately created a sense of depth and the brown space then appeared to be a ledge or step the dog was cowering behind. This painting was apart of a series painted by Goya known as the “Black Paintings”. These paintings were very personal to Goya and were painted straight onto the walls of his own home, depicting dark scene of disturbing characters.

Goya previously created etchings in his life as a form of protest and dissatisfaction to the ruling of King Ferdinand IV. These etchings provided a large amount of grief for Goya as they forced him into exile, making him have to leave the Spanish court and putting him into disgrace. This in combination with the serious illness he was suffering at the time cause Goya to fall into a deep depression. Feeling very isolated from society and suffering a great deal, this artwork appeared to be a means of expression for the mental state Goya was in at the time.

The sadness and disparity expressed on the dogs face reflected the painter’s own emotions, and Goya placed his fears and anxieties into this character he created. The sense of impending doom Goya created in the artwork represented the sudden realisation of his own mortality as he faced this serious illness, which added to the darkness within the piece. Even the pure act of painting these paintings on the walls of his own home showed how personal these paintings were to Goya.

In his earlier lifetime, Goya was commissioned mostly to paint portraits of people and families, even painting a portrait of King Charles IV and his family. However, in contrast, these paintings were the complete opposite to his earlier works, not only due to the much darker, monotone colour palette he used in these paintings, but due to the fact that these paintings were only intended for Goya to see alone. Goya painted these on the walls of his very home as they were personal to him, expressing the private emotions and feelings which he intended to be only for himself.

This made these paintings very unique and contrasting to his previous works as Goya had more freedom to express himself, not thinking they would ever be viewed publicly. In his previous works and portraits he would have had to have more refined brushstrokes, making sure to be very meticulous and technical, and would have used a wider range of colour whereas in the ‘Black Paintings’, including this one, his brushstrokes were more expressive, using thicker heavier applications of oil paint to express his inner turmoil from his ill health and societal status.

The difference in his colour choice also showed how his mindset at the time affected his choice in colour, using it as a way to express a certain mood within these pieces. The vast emptiness of the sky expressed how vulnerable Goya was feeling at the time due to his ill health, and how he felt that he was unable to escape the impending doom that was his mortality. Collectively, looking at this piece in the art gallery it was clear to see why these paintings were named the ‘Black Paintings’ as they were clearly an outlet of the inner misery that Goya was feeling at the time.

In comparison to his other artwork in the gallery, the viewers could clearly see how the emotions the painter felt affected the way that he painted, with his previous style within his work being more thought out, refined, and blended, whereas the ‘Black Paintings’ are more expressive in their brushstrokes with a rougher quality and a larger use of a more monotone colour range.

This piece in particular expressed the feeling of the painter, as you can picture that the dog was a way of portraying Goya himself, as a scared little dog hiding from the monsters of the world yet unable escape them and instead waiting for the doom that was coming for him.

This piece was also very thought provoking as it was very ambiguous therefore required a lot of personal interpretation, making the audience want to take a closer look at the artwork in order to answer questions they could not immediately see in front of them. The use of negative space adds to the drama within the piece, and draws your eyes to the small, helpless creature that sits behind the ledge.