Saturn Devouring His Son-Goya

Saturn Devouring his Son was created by Spanish artist Francisco Goya in between the years 1819 and 1823. It depicts the Greek myth of Saturn, in fear of his sons overthrowing him, eating each one at birth. The painting was originally created in the dining room of Goya's home, but has since been transferred to canvas after Goya's death and now resides in the Museo del Prado in Madrid.

Saturn Devouring his Son is a very disturbing portrait of a god Saturn consuming one of his six children. According to Roman myth, it has been foretold that one of his sons will overthrow him, just as he had overthrown his father. The myth continues that his wife eventually hid the sixth son on an island and offered a stone to her husband in its place. The sixth son eventually grew up to overthrow his father, just as the prophecy had predicted.

I think this portrait is a very interesting one. The pattern in which the father is eating his son is also very fascinating. It seems as though Saturn has already eaten the head and right arm of the newborn, and is taking a bite out of the left arm. Not only do I find the painting interesting, but the story behind it as well. The father was overthrown in the end, despite all of the extreme and insane measures that he took to prevent that from happening in the first place.
-O.D.

Goya's description of the god Saturn devouring one of his children is somewhat disturbing but very artistic at the same time. It was an oil mural that was later transferred to canvas. The dimensions are around four and a half feet by two and a half feet. That's quite impressive for the size of the painting alone. Critics believe Goya could have possibly been inspired by Peter Paul Rueben. Rueben also did Saturn devouring his children but it was created in 1636. Both are quite disturbing and critics debate which is worse. Was Saturn turned mad and forced to eat his own children in fear of being overthrown or was he just remorseful and a crazy murderer and cannabal even toward his own children for power alone?

In my opinion this painting is quite disturbing. The story itself is interesting but it is graphic. I have actually seen this in an art book before. It is a masterpiece because it was done in oil. Goya was an amazing artist.
                                                  - Owen