Goya professed the predominance of feeling upon reason, the rejection of “rules” upon free invention, and his preference for esoteric and mysterious topics in his paintings upon nature topics. He was taking the road that would culminate in Black Paintings.
He had a first-hand and acute awareness of panic, terror, fear and hysteria. He had survived two near-fatal illnesses, and grew increasingly anxious and impatient in fear of relapse. The combination of these factors is thought to have led to his production of the Black Paintings.
