The Shadow of Absence

Perhaps liberation from the captivity of the subject or the literary context of the painting was one of the basic aspirations of many artists throughout the ages as one of the relentless endeavors towards a greater goal, which is to reach higher degrees of purity and privacy in the art of painting. Historically, Surrealism took precedence in this regard, but more private and unique attempts preceded surrealism, which turned that ambition into a mere (pattern)!

Goya’s controversial group series (Pinturas negras), which is composed of fourteen works of various sizes – executed by Goya in the last years of his life (from 1819 to 1823) – probably constitutes one of the most private and distinctive of these endeavors.

He painted these works on the walls of the dining and sitting rooms in his house known as (Quinta del Sordo) “the house of the deaf man”, the paintings were not commissioned by anyone, and it is clear that Goya did not intend to display or sell these paintings. Rather, he drew it for himself, addressing those hidden and dark areas of human consciousness, in which images and scenes of obscure obsessions and fears accumulate! There, the images of beings change and their clear connotations are absent, as they are in the conscious world, which is clearly presented in the entire literary production of “Kafka”, especially in his famous novel “The Transformation” (Die Verwandlung), or as an independent subject, as did “Goya”. Thus, Goya did not give any titles to his black paintings. The paintings were later titled by art historians. This lent these works an air of freedom from the restrictions of workmanship and (the prevailing). Despite the clear dramatic touch and violent psychological nature of the entire series, the absence of context linking the scenes addressed in the paintings, which mostly depict the artist’s personal concerns, remained the distinguishing feature of the series. This represents a unique artistic ambition that always attracts attempts to re-read and interpret it… This show is an attempt to get close and meet personally with this ambition.

Islam Zaher – Jan 2023