From princes to paupers: how Goya's portraits tell the story of Spain
Read From princes to paupers: how Goya's portraits tell the story of Spain, an IELTS Reading practice passage. There are, according to current scholarship, 160 existing portraits by Francisco de Goya - about a third of his painted output. The real number, though, is much greater since there are no…
Passage preview
There are, according to current scholarship, 160 existing portraits by Francisco de Goya - about a third of his painted output. The real number, though, is much greater since there are no pure landscapes in Goya's work, in that everything he ever painted deals with people. In the work of no other great portraitist are a nation's people, history, traumas, folk traditions, and superstitions so comprehensively and relentlessly captured. His subject was a good one since Goya lived in interesting times: his lifetime was a period that saw Spain pass through the effects of the French Revolution, the Napoleonic wars, and the restoration of the monarchy; it was ruled by a succession of authoritarian and liberal governments; and was simultaneously marked by the Enlightenment. Put his work together – the public and private paintings, the personal drawings and sketches, and the unsettling and sinister etching series – and what you have is a portrait in the round of Spain itself.
Vocabulary from this passage
8 words worth learning before you sit the test, each with the sentence it appears in.
- coalesce verb
To come together or combine into a single mass, whole, or unified system
Individual artistic techniques coalesce into a remarkably coherent visual narrative throughout the exhibition.
- eschew verb
To deliberately avoid, abstain from, or reject a particular practice, style, or convention
Modern scholars often eschew outdated methodologies in favor of rigorous empirical research frameworks.
- innate kindness noun
An inborn, natural disposition toward compassion and benevolence that exists without external influence
Her innate kindness was evident in the compassionate manner with which she treated all patients.
- latent movement noun
An underlying or potential motion that is present but not explicitly or fully expressed
The dynamic brushwork creates a sense of latent movement within the static portrait composition.
- malignity noun
The state or quality of being deeply malevolent, harmful, or intensely evil in nature
The historical narrative depicted the regime's extreme malignity toward political dissidents during wartime.
- obeisance noun
A gesture or attitude expressing deferential respect or submission to a superior entity
Courtiers were expected to show complete obeisance whenever they entered the royal presence.
- reflexive homage noun
An automatic or unthinking expression of deep respect or deference toward authority figures
The biographer avoided paying reflexive homage to the historical figure, offering a critical perspective instead.
- unprepossessing adjective
Not attractive or appealing in appearance, despite possessing hidden or understated value
Despite its unprepossessing exterior, the historical archive contained invaluable documents of national importance.