Woman called Donna Truhana
La maja naked is one of the most famous works of Francisco de Goya y Lucientes. The painting is a commissioned work painted before 1800, a period that would be between 1790 and 1800, when the first documented reference to this work. [1] then teamed up with La maja vestida, dated between 1802 and 1805, [ 2] probably at the request of Manuel de Godoy, who has since formed part of a cabinet in your home.
In both paintings are full-length portrait to the same beautiful woman lying peacefully in a bed and looking directly at the viewer. It is not a mythological nude, but a real woman, a contemporary of Goya, and even in his time was called the "Gypsy." The temporal precedence of the naked maja indicates that at the time of being painted, the picture was not designed for a pair.
It has been speculated that it portrayed the Duchess of Alba, as the death of this in 1802, all his paintings became the property of Godoy, who was known to belong the two pestles, similar to what happened to Venus Velázquez mirror. However there is no conclusive evidence that this face belongs to the Duchess or could not get the naked Maja Godoy in other ways, even the direct order of a Goya.
In the design of this box drawing is decisive, for that reason and by the predominance of a cold gamut note the influence of neoclassicism, but Goya goes far beyond that ism.
Although situated within the aesthetic of neoclassicism, like others by the same artist, this work of Goya is bold and daring for its time, as bold is the facial expression and body attitude of the model, which seems satisfied and happy smile of his Thank you. Moreover, it is the first work of art (known) in which it appears painted female pubic hair, which emphasizes the eroticism of the composition.
Particular note is the light that gives the body Goya of the bare, light, contrasting with the rest of the room, and beside that the typical luminosity that Goya can give expression to the eyes.
If Western culture to Goya for centuries and almost always resorted to subterfuge to represent the naked woman (eg mythic themes) in the nude maja we have a real woman.
It is notable that even within the typical strength of the strokes that characterize Goya, the artist has endeavored to treat the shady fleshiness and accompanied by subtle figuration of the fabrics, the color is done with a detailed set of green that contrasts with white and pink, so the nice almost seems suspended by its brightness and delicacy, suspended in a dark space she glows.