Oil Painting Two

Oil Painting Two

A playboy prime minister gets two paintings of his mistress made - one where she is nude and one where she is clothed. She is holding the same pose on the same chair in both paintings. He then installs the paintings together so that only the clothed one is normally shown. However, with the single pull of a lever, the paintings switch and the nude version is now displayed. Meanwhile, the talented artist that painted the mistress is visited by the inquisition, who takes away his position as painter of the royal court as punishment for his creation of the obscene nude painting.

Does this sound like a work of fiction or the realities of our world? A true story or a myth? He story is definitely true, though it does not reflect the realities of our world of today, but rather the beginning of the 19th century. The artist was acclaimed painter Francisco Goya, the prime minister Duke Manual de Godoy and the paintings two of Goya's most celebrated master pieces, La Maja Desnuda and La Maja Vestida. The inquisition was also very real as any student of Spanish history can testify.

The story still continues to fascinate, however. To have the audacity to not only have these paintings made by his mistress, but to install a mechanical system to allow them to be shown as needed attracts smiles. The fate of Goya for painting them is less amusing but nevertheless serves to not only being realism but also a sense of injustice and disbelief to the story.

Anyway, whatever the deeper points of the story, only two things remain of it today: La Maja Desnuda (The Nude Maja) and La Maja Vestida (The Clothed Maja). Both are among the supreme master pieces by Goya, himself among the most celebrated Spanish artists of all time and regarded as the last of the old masters. The paintings were never exhibited during Goya's own lifetime. Rather, they were first in the possession of Manual de Godoy and were seized by the Spanish inquisition following his fall from grace. It was also at this time that Goya was questioned and lost his royal court painter position. The paintings were not returned to the Academy of Fine Arts in San Fernando until 1836, eight years after Goya himself had passed away.

Still, The Maja paintings stand as Goya's true depiction of the idealized female form of the age. Yet, while such celebrations of female beauty were frowned upon by the church, other Goya paintings like "Satan Devouring his Son", one of Goya's black paintings, were readily accepted.

Either way, all three of these paintings can today be found at the Prado museum in Madrid, Spain, where they are all recognized for the artistic master pieces they are. There are no mechanical pulleys or other systems that allows you to move one Maja in front of the other, however. Rather, the paintings hang right there next to each other, to be taken in and enjoyed. They hang there as examples of the artistic mastery of Goya, of his perfect depiction of the female form, and while they are there they tell the story of their creation and the immense fuzz that created in early 19th century Spain.

To see a large selection of 100% hand painted oil painting reproductions from all the great art masters see the fine selection at art reproductions.

How can I get an already finished oil painting dry in two days?

I need to get a painting ready by Monday, and I had the glorious idea of doing it with oil paints that take forever to dry. I know, I know; I should have planned it out better, but this is the hand I got dealt. Anyone know a way of getting it dry in two days?

blow dry it.