Tauromaquia

At the height of his maturity, a genius who was disillusioned with the age he lived in suddenly gave up his work as a court painter and went off in search of new visual languages with which to broaden and explore his skills. This introspective stage of the painter’s life is reflected in various series of prints, one of which was Tauromaquia (Bullfighting). 

Artika and the San Fernando Royal Academy of Fine Arts have produced a limited edition of 998 numbered copies featuring the facsimile reproduction of the 40 prints Francisco de Goya produced for his Tauromaquia, and taken from the first edition that is conserved in the National Chalcography department. 

The prints are masterly depictions of the ritual of bullfighting, with lines and strokes full of strength and character. They are protected in a folder that replicates the original folder in which Goya himself bound the first edition of Tauromaquia.

This large-format volume affords a painstaking study of the prints, as well as evoking the life and work of the painter, the history of his work Tauromaquia and his work as an engraver, all described by leading Goya specialists. 

Bound in red, El Arte de Torear contains texts on the subject by writers who were contemporaries of the artist. And to top it all off, the work includes an artisan’s graver, just like the one Goya used. 

Given the importance and value of this work, it is presented in a specially-designed handmade box that features the signature of Goya the engraver. It also has an original copper clasp reminiscent of the engraving plates used for this art form, with the title of the work engraved on it, as a homage to the great maestro.