conversation with Goya

Having moved to Spain there was a process of getting to know the country, the people and the culture. The dark paintings of Goya are fascinating and in particular the enigmatic El Perro. This painting hauntingly refers to the composition of El Perro and the portrait of Isobel. It also is about some village girls who have strong and almost aggressive facades but yet lack confidence because of their quite and sheltered lives. Trying to capture the two emotions in one face at the same time was a major achievement of Rembrandt and has often been a focus of mine.