Great Artists Play Politics: Goya, Degas, and Picasso

Some of the most powerful paintings of the past two centuries were created in direct response to contemporary political crises. These works were animated by the urgency of the political dialogue of their times. But the same artistic intensity that grew from a particular political climate of the past can make a painting transcend its historical moment. In this way, a masterwork can bear potent witness to its political dialogue centuries later, with uncanny connections to the politics of our own times.

Today's topic: Goya's Powerful Political Imagery: Weak Leaders, Foreign Intervention, The Third of May, and The Disasters of War