I think only one person in a hundred could tell the full name of the Spanish painter Francisco Goya. Francisco de Goya y Lucientes (1746–1828), where the father’s surname Goya tolls like a bell of the 18th century, and the mother’s Lucientes shimmers with musical tenderness. On 8 October, as part of the Europalia Spain festival, the exhibition “Luz y sombra. Goya and Spanish Realism” opened, shedding new light on the work of the Spanish genius. And you will once again be convinced that this lofty epithet truly applies to the master of the brush when you visit the Bozar art centre.

“Our European image of Goya” was shaped by the French in the 19th century under Napoleon (and indeed, the current King Felipe VI descends from the Spanish branch of the Bourbons, stemming from the grandson of the Sun King). The curators of the exhibition, like skilled restorers, carefully scrape away the “French varnish” from the work of the Spanish all, revealing something both fascinating and new – without in any way diminishing the positive impact of French influence on Spanish culture and economy as a whole. The curator of the exhibition Rocío Gracia Ipiña explains the nuances clearly in an interview for www.artreporter.be. The curatorial team has done a tremendous job, and the exhibition is intricate – I strongly recommend booking a ticket with a guided tour.

The title of the exhibition, “Light and Shadow”, perfectly captures the essence of Francisco de Goya’s art. In his works, light and darkness, with a sweep of the brush, become symbols of human existence – the clash between reason and madness, hope and horror, truth and illusion. Goya masterfully used chiaroscuro to reveal the inner dramas and contradictions of his era – from the dazzling portraits of the Spanish court to the nightmarish visions of the Caprichos and The Disasters of War series. “Luz y sombra” is also a metaphor for the dialogue between past and present, between Goya’s tragedy and the responses of contemporary artists – from the light of his innovation to the shadow it casts on our own time.

With his powerful and gripping depictions of injustice, violence and the horrors of his age, Goya became a pivotal figure in the development of modernity, firmly rooted in the Spanish realist tradition. Seventy artists, from the 18th century to the present day, engage creatively with his multifaceted legacy, demonstrating that his formal, conceptual and ideological influence continues to fascinate, move and inspire.

Among the featured artists are Eugenio Lucas Velázquez, Ignacio Zuloaga, Pablo Picasso, José Gutiérrez Solana, Delhy Tejero, Jorge Oteiza, Antonio Saura, Eduardo Arroyo, Marisa González and Patricia Gadea.