Description
The painting "El Afilador" by Francisco Goya is a masterpiece of 18th century Spanish art. This work represents an itinerant sharpener found on a street in Madrid, sharpening knives and scissors for passers-by. The composition of the painting is very interesting, as the sharpener is in the center of the picture, surrounded by a crowd of people watching his work.
Goya's artistic style is very evident in this work, as he uses a loose and expressive brushwork technique that gives the painting a sense of movement and life. Furthermore, the use of color is very interesting, as Goya uses dark and earthy tones to represent the street and the buildings, while the sharpener and his cart are painted in brighter, more vivid colours.
The history of the painting is also very interesting, since it was painted in 1808, during the Spanish War of Independence. At the time, Spain was being invaded by Napoleon's French troops, and Goya was in Madrid, where he was able to witness firsthand the horrors of war. "El Afilador" is one of the few works that Goya painted during this period, and is believed to represent the daily struggle of the Spanish to survive in the midst of war.
In addition to these well-known aspects of the painting, there are other lesser-known details that are also interesting. For example, it is believed that the sharpener in the painting is actually a self-portrait of Goya, as it shares many physical characteristics with the artist. It has also been suggested that the crowd of people surrounding the sharpener represent Spanish society as a whole, and that the painting is a social critique of the time.