Description
The Naked Maja is an oil painting by the famous Spanish artist Francisco de Goya. It was painted around 1800 and shows a reclining nude woman against a dark background.
It is interesting to know that the identity of the model remains a mystery to this day, although there are many theories as to who it could have been. The painting is believed to have been commissioned by Manuel Godoy, Prime Minister of Spain at the time, who may also have been the painting's original owner.
It was also one of the first important paintings in the history of European art to publicly show a nude female figure and without an explicit historical or mythological context. As such, the painting was the subject of controversy in its time, and Goya had to answer to the Spanish Inquisition for its depiction of a nude woman.
Today, The Naked Maja is considered one of Goya's masterpieces and is one of the most famous paintings in the world. The painting is currently in the Museo del Prado in Madrid, Spain.
An interesting aspect about this painting is that there is another version of the same painting known as The Dressed Maja. In this version, the same woman appears in a white dress. Goya is believed to have painted this second version after the first, possibly to please critics who took offense at the first painting's nude depiction of women.
Goya was not the first to paint a nude "maja". There were other Spanish artists who had depicted nude women before, but The Naked Maja is perhaps the best known and most famous depiction of this subject.
The painting has been the subject of many critical interpretations and analysis over the years, and has been linked to themes such as feminism, sexuality, freedom, and oppression. In any case, The Naked Maja remains a fascinating and highly symbolic work of art that has been appreciated and studied for generations.