Men reading

The painting 'Men Reading' is a powerful piece completed between 1820 and 1823 by renowned Spanish artist Francisco Goya. It stands out amongst Goya's 14 'Black Paintings' that depict his physical pain, spiritual torment, and his disillusionment with the political direction of Spain. Rendered in oil on gesso embedded in the walls of Goya's isolated dwelling, the Quinta del Sordo, this piece is a testament to the artist's desolate state of mind. Employing elements of Romanticism, the artwork falls under the category of genre painting, capturing scenes from daily life, albeit through a despairingly somber lens.