Family of Charles IV by Francisco Goya: Neoclassical Portrait Analysis

The Family of Charles IV by Francisco Goya: Neoclassical Portrait Analysis

The family of Charles IV is the title that the author, Francisco Goya Lucientes, gave to this portrait. The chronology is 1800-1801. The Spanish school and his style is neoclassical.

The subject of this portrait is a commission by Charles IV, portraying his family without flattery. Goya appears behind, immersed in the shadows, and as an independent observer, alluding to Las Meninas by Velázquez.

The description of this portrait notes that the support elements are the fabric and the technique used is oil.

Formal and compositional elements:

• Form: Closed and shallow shaped frieze.
• Composition: Neoclassical roots arranged in a frieze with a certain ambiguity for both the centrality of the box.
• Simetria: Vertical, creating a static composition.
• Perspective: Shallow and closed composition, focusing on the foreground.
• Chromatism: Emphasizes ocher and gray colors with notes of red and blue.

Relations with similar works of the author or school:

Goya's influence can be seen in the work's resemblance to Las Meninas and Rembrandt's chiaroscuro.

Significance and function:

Goya's intention was to ridicule the royal family. The painting was likely meant to decorate the rooms of the royal palace.

Historical context and historical artistic context:

This painting was created just before the Bourbon monarchy faced conflict with France, illustrating an era of despotism. The central policy of the country was marked by the influence of French ideas throughout Europe.