Goya's fingerprints bring real-life touch to 'Mariano' portrait
Mark Roglán, director of the Meadows Museum, talks about legendary Spanish painter Goya’s own fingerprints being on the painting of his grandson, Mariano Goya.
By Nicholas Sakelaris
Staff Writer
Dallas Business Journal
Legendary Spanish painter Goya’s own fingerprints put the finishing touches on the painting of his grandson, Mariano Goya, nearly 200 years ago.
That very personal texture is just one of many reasons Mark Roglán, director of the Meadows Museum at Southern Methodist University, beams with pride over the painting.
After years in a private collection, the Meadows Museum acquired it last year, making it the sixth original Goya painting in the collection. It’s one of Francisco José de Goya last known paintings before he died in 1828.
It’s years ahead of its time and shows definitively that Goya lives by his motto, “aun aprendo” or “I’m still learning.” For someone such as Goya, who dedicated his life to painting and was already considered a master, that’s truly inspiring.
“Mariano’s image possesses an ethereal quality that softens his features and hints at Goya’s deep love for his grandson,” Roglán said when SMU acquired the painting.