Francisco Goya Influence

There are an abundance of artists that are underestimated, ignored, or overlooked because they are not mentioned in history books; however, those who are ,are there because they went "above and beyond" as an artist. Whether it was because the artist begun a movement, or influenced it. For my artist, Francisco José de Goya y Lucientes, became a icon of his time and is someone who is currently apricated both as painter and printmaker. Francisco Goya became known as one of the most skilled printmakers of his times. Not only did he aw his audience with aesthetically pleasing prints, but also intrigued many people with his political, religious, and social criticism of their corruption.
Francisco Goya's artworks darkened (both physically and conceptually)
He certainly took advantage of what printmaking had to offer (same with his paintings). He did not only settle with etching but created a great blend when integrating aquatint. He used the aquatint to create stark settings. What ware great about his prints is that even thought he did a great job in transitioning subtle gradients great rigid contrast dramatized the image (a common feature seen in printmaking). The high contrast provided a distinctly dark and mysterious quality in his work, which complemented his imagery. Goya's over the top use of fine lines , cross countering, and value variation shows the impactful aesthetics the printmaking world has to offer. Another feature that complemented his images, was that the prints came out monochromatic contributing the theme of lifeless and darker side of human nature. Personally, the unexpected etching that happens in printmaking gives the piece a unique personality, and not every print is going to come out the same (so every print has it's unique distinctions). Unlike any other media at the time, printmaking gave the artist the ability to create multiple prints to expand the range of his audience (influence more people), which was something Goya wanted to