Goya Universe. Between light and darkness has been conquering Barcelona for months. It is a complete immersive exhibition dedicated to the great genius of painting that, through eleven rooms, allows us to know in depth the art of the painter while we understand his personal, social and political context. But the good things come to an end and this experience will close its doors for good on September 28. You can still get your tickets for these last sessions.
An immersive exhibition that shows all the faces and stages of the genius.
As its name suggests, Universo Goya. Between light and darkness wants to expose all the faces of the painter, from the brightest to the darkest, a fact that is shown both in his art and in his convulsive personal life.
Thus, the exhibition at the Centre d’Art Amatller places special emphasis on Goya’ s personal side, focusing on how his life and the times in which he lived influenced his rich and varied artistic production.
It all starts in a room where we will travel back to the 18th century and where the context of Goya’s time is shown, illustrated with patrimonial objects such as military elements (some of them originals) and an audiovisual installation. We will also learn more about the artist’s environment with scenographies, such as a recreation of Godoy’s private room.
After this, we enter fully into his painting. Goya Universe. Between Light and Darkness explains the artist’s technique and why it was so innovative. In this room, we can also enjoy an interactive activity, a self-portrait simulator that will show us how we would look if Goya painted us.
Goya’ s work shines in the following parts of the exhibition with digital reproductions, where we will witness his evolution: from official portraitist of royalty and aristocracy to painter who foreshadowed the expressionism of the 20th century with his famous Black Paintings.
The illness that causes his deafness and the convulsive politics of those years change the point of view of Goya, who from that moment becomes an exceptional chronicler of the events of the Spain of those years, denouncing, through his art, the fanaticism, the superstitions, the moral decadence and the incompetence of the rulers. In this part, the intervention of Franc Aleu stands out, with a video that makes a free revision of thework Los fusilamientos del 3 de mayo de 1808, using artificial intelligence creation tools.
Goya Universe. Between Light and Darkness also gives special importance to Goya’ s production of engravings. The exhibition recreates in a room his engraving workshop, where an original press used by the painter is preserved and where we can see 25 prints from different series of his engravings, as well as 5 by other artists. With this comparison we can see how the work of the Aragonese genius dialogues with other contemporary artists and how he was ahead of his time, with a unique technique and a great modernity in his themes.
As in any exhibition at the Centre d’Art Amatller, there is a 360º projection section, represented by a huge room that takes us deep into the brilliant mind of Goya through an interactive film in which the painter’s paintings come to life. The common thread is the Quinta del Sordo, the house where the painter lived before leaving for Bordeaux and on whose walls he painted his famous 14 Black Paintings. Through them we will connect with the passions of the artist and these will be linked to the rest of his work… from darkness to light and vice versa.
The last room of Universo Goya. Between light and darkness is a virtual reality activity that will be enjoyed by young and old: Goya’s Manzanares, a personal and artistic journey through all the stages of the painter.
Goya Universe. Between light and darkness is an exhibition produced by Layers of Reality, creators of the aforementioned Sorolla: una nova dimensió as well as other installations such as Frida Kahlo, the life of a myth, Klimt, the immersive experience, Dalí Cibernètic or Jules Verne 200 and the recently released experience in Ideal: Leonardo Versus Michelangelo.
This immersive experience, which like Goya’s pays tribute to a fundamental period in the History of Art, will make us take sides with one of the two great geniuses of the Renaissance, with interactive activities that will force us to vote for our favorite artist.