Venus and Adonis (Venus y Adonis)

This piece is an example of a particular kind of painting which Goya produced and sold in Italy to cover his living costs. They are small pictures adapted to the tastes of specific clients. (For more information on this kind of work, see Sacrifice to Vesta).

Both the sale and the execution of these works were rapid, as can be seen from the x-ray of this painting, which does not show a single alteration. The scene depicts Venus, weeping inconsolably by the dead body of her lover, the beautiful Adonis, who has been killed by a wild boar.

The composition is clearly divided into two separate areas by the diagonal line established by the trunk of the tree. There is a strong contrast between the background, which is characterized by typically baroque dark tones and a tempestuous sky, and the figures in the foreground, which are illuminated and dressed in very bright colours. Adonis' anatomy reflects Goya's increased interest in classical sculpture, also reflected in the notes written in his Italian Sketchbook.