#Layers of fear self portrait series#

Most names used for them are designations employed by art historians. Goya did not give titles to the paintings, or if he did, he never revealed them.

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.'

The paintings were not commissioned and were not meant to leave his home. Using oil paints and working directly on the walls of his dining and sitting rooms, Goya created works with dark, disturbing themes. The combination of these factors is thought to have led to his production of the Black Paintings. He had survived two near-fatal illnesses, and grew increasingly anxious and impatient in fear of relapse. He had an acute, first-hand awareness of panic, terror, fear and hysteria. Īfter the Napoleonic Wars and the internal turmoil of the changing Spanish government, Goya developed an embittered attitude toward mankind. They are now in the Museo del Prado in Madrid. The paintings originally were painted as murals on the walls of the house, later being 'hacked off' the walls and attached to canvas by owner Baron Frédéric Émile d'Erlanger. Although the house had been named after the previous owner, who was deaf, Goya too was nearly deaf at the time as a result of an unknown illness he had suffered when he was 46. In 1819, at the age of 72, Goya moved into a two-story house outside Madrid that was called Quinta del Sordo ( Deaf Man's Villa). They portray intense, haunting themes, reflective of both his fear of insanity and his bleak outlook on humanity. The Black Paintings (Spanish: Pinturas negras) is the name given to a group of 14 paintings by Francisco Goya from the later years of his life, likely between 18. On the left: Witches' Sabbath (The Great He-Goat) This painting was originally painted by Michelangelo Marisi da Caravaggio, and is often dated anywhere from 1601 to 1610.īabyface is the Artist's most recent work, and can be seen prominently displayed in the the Office.Exposition Universelle (1878). After looking at it, the fruit in the painting will begin to turn into apples and fall to the ground. At this point, it is also in the kitchen.

This painting first appears in the kitchen during the prologue. The painting is a self portrait of Sir Joshua Reynolds, an English painter of great renown. In front of the painting is a pile of dolls. This picture is first seen in the prologue when the Artist ventures down to the basement. The credits label her as 'The Rat Queen'. In the game's sequel, she is an actual being that shows herself in the beginning of the game, and will reappear in the Formless/Madness ending. This could potentially connect the painting to the Wife, and by extension connect the Wife to the rats. The subject of the painting was Cecilia Gallerani, who was well known for her musical talent. It seems to be a distorted re-imagining of 'Lady with an Ermine', which was painted by Leonardo DaVinci around 1489 or 1490. It was also shown during one of the game's trailers. When looked at, the paintings will convulse, off of their canvases, and dissolve into rats which will proceed to run away. Three copies appear inside a room where the 'Canvas Crawlers' rat scrawling can be found in Iteration 3. The Rat Lady is presumably a painting by the Artist.

#Layers of fear self portrait series#

It was the first of a series of paintings depicting adultery and its harmful effects. This was a painting by artist Augustus Leopold Egg in 1858, and actually represents a man learning of his wife's adultery. Its presence in the game seems to represent the Artist's lack of concern for his wife despite her pleas. This painting first appears in the entrance hallway at the beginning of the game, and reappears numerous times throughout the game. It is considered difficult to interpret, but is often interpreted as being about infant mortality. It was originally entitled 'The Rape of Ganymede'. The painting was made in 1635 by artist Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn. Its presence in the game possibly represents the Daughter being taken away from the Artist, either because of the Wife's influence or by the state. This painting first appears in the entrance hallway at the very beginning of the game, and reappears multiple times throughout the game.

5 Still Life with Fruit on a Stone Ledge.