Francisco Goya 's Black Paintings "Witches Sabbath"

"The Great He-Goat" or "Witches' Sabbath" - The darker version

Two Goya's dark paletted works from the Black Paintings collection are titled "The Great He-Goat or Witches' Sabbath (El aquelarre"). Earlier, Goya created a version of this work in a more cheerful and optimistic way (see below); however, this image is ominous and gloomy. This earth-toned illustration shows Goya's demonstration of the ancient belief that the Sabbath was a meeting of witches supervised by the devil, who took the form of a goat. The goat is painted completely black and appears as a silhouette in front of a crowd of witches and warlocks. These "sub-humans" have sunken eyes and near horrifying features. The figures huddle together, leaning towards the devil. Only one girl seems resistant to the crowd, and she sits at the far right, dressed in black holding a muff. Though she does not appear involved in the ritual, she does seem to be captivated by the group's relationship to the devil.

"The Great He-Goat" or "Witches' Sabbath" - The more cheerful version

The Black Paintings are a group of paintings by Francisco Goya created in the later years of his life (1819–1823) that portray intense, haunting themes. In 1819 at the age of 72, Goya moved into a two-story house outside of Madrid called "Quinta del Sordo," or "Deaf Man's Villa". Although the house had been named after the previous owner who was deaf, Goya was himself deaf at the time as a result of an illness he suffered at the age of 46. After the Napoleonic Wars and the turmoil of the Spanish government, Goya developed an embittered attitude towards humanity. He had an acute awareness of panic, terror, fear, and hysteria. Also surviving two near-fatal illnesses, Goya grew increasingly anxious and impatient in fear of relapse. These factors combined are thought to have led to his production of 14 works known as the Black Paintings.

Using oil paints and working directly onto the walls of his dining and sitting rooms, Goya created intense, haunting works with dark themes. The paintings were not commissioned, and they were not meant to leave his home; it is likely that the artist never intended the works for public exhibition: "...these paintings are as close to being hermetically private as any that have ever been produced in the history of Western art." He did not title the paintings, but art historians have since provided titles. (wikipedia)