Goya travels to Japan

The National Museum of Western Art (Tokyo, Japan), in collaboration with the Museo del Prado, presents in Japan Goya: Lights and Shadows. Masterpieces of the Museo del Prado.

The exhibition features a selection of oil paintings and drawings, 72 in total from the Museo del Prado in Madrid, along with 51 prints from the collection of the NMWA and other museums in Japan. Focusing on the themes of light and shadow, this exhibition explores Goya's pictorial arts from different vantage points, as it endeavors to get to the heart of his creative genius.

Francisco de Goya (1746-1828) -the Old Master from Spain whose acutely critical eye and intellectual acumen grasped the many diverse aspects of society and human psychology, all helping pave the path for modern painting. Goya's works stand as testament to Europe's age of great social upheavals, as they move us even today, two centuries later.

Goya rose from his humble beginnings as the son of a regional artisan to become court painter to King Charles IV of Spain. Goya's portraits of the royal family and members of their court won him great acclaim. As peace in Spain crumbled in the face of Napoleon's invasion, the elderly Goya came face to face with the suffering of the ordinary people caught up in war and chaos. His gaze then turned beyond reality, to the realm of dreams and visions, which led him to create unique works that can be said to herald the beginnings of modern painting.

Dates: until January 29.
Location: The National Museum of Western Art, 7-7 Ueno-koen, Taito-ku, Tokyo 110-0007, Japan.
Opening hours: from Saturday to Thusday from 9.30am to 5.30pm. Fridays from 9.30am to 8pm.

See some of Goya's works in the following slideshow: