Dona Antonia Zarate by Goya ( 1805 )
When you approach the painting in the National Gallery, set against the Baconish red wallpaper, one's eyes become hit by a mirage of Gold. The contrast is really quite incredible. Then, as your eyes settle and you can properly focus on the image before you, standing at about two meters or so from the painting before one goes in to scrutinize it proper, what appears before you is a young woman who appears to be profoundly sad. This is the first thing you see, and immediately your instinct is to move forward in an attempt to console her, or to figure out what could possibly be the origin of such intense sadness and that is when you make a fatal error. As, when you do approach her, standing now almost right up beside her in order to observe her better, what you soon see is the tiniest sneer of contempt drawn upon her lips. This is Goya's genius, how he sets up the illusion of feminine vulnerability from the exterior, just as in life certain women are able to manipulate the image of themselves that they project to the world, and then when you approach them and converse with them the mask drops and the image of apparent feminine frailty is hastily dropped and the cold contemptuous sneer is revealed dispatching you, in but the merest movement of her lips...
It is an astonishing portrait for this reason alone, as Goya somehow through the genius of his art conjures a magical illusion of womanhood in his portrait of Dona Antonia Zarate which reveals also the very genius of not only this most assuredly singular woman, who was an actress by all accounts, but also reveals the very genius of her entire sex. Apparently seeming to be one thing, and then almost magically transforming herself into another. Always one step ahead of the observer, such is the quality and essence of women.
Simply marvel!
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