What is Francisco de Goya?
[[File:Vicente López Portaña - el pintor Francisco de Goya.jpg|thumb|right|A portrait of Goya, by [[Vicente López y Portaña]]]] '''Francisco José de Goya y Lucientes''' (30 March 1746 – 30 April 1828)<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.nga.gov/collection/gallery/gg52/gg52-over1.html#jump |title=NGA - Francisco de Goya |work=nga.gov |year=2011 |accessdate=6 February 2011 |archive-date=8 November 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101108153523/http://www.nga.gov/collection/gallery/gg52/gg52-over1.html#jump |url-status=dead }}</ref> was a [[Spain|Spanish]] [[wikt:painter|painter]]. He painted many [[portrait]]s of the Spanish Royal Family. His most famous paintings are ''Charles IV of Spain and His Family'' and ''The Third of May 1808''. He regularly painted the famous [[María Cayetana de Silva, 13th Duchess of Alba|Duchess of Alba]]. == Life == === Youth === [[File:The rape of Europa, Goya.JPG|thumb|''[[Europa (mythology)|The rape of Europa]]'', 1772|275x275px]] [[File:La familia de Carlos IV, Francisco de Goya.jpg|thumb|275px|''The Family of Charles IV'', 1800.]] Goya was born in Fuendetodos, in the region of [[Aragón]], [[Spain]], in 1746. His parents were José Benito de Goya y Franque and Gracia de Lucientes y Salvador. He spent his childhood in Fuendetodos. His father's work was gilding (putting [[gold]] onto picture frames). In about 1749, the family moved to a house in the city of [[Zaragoza]]. Goya went to school at Escuelas Pias. He became best friends with Martin Zapater. Through their lives, they wrote many letters to each other. Because of these letters, historians know a lot about Goya's life. When he was 14 Goya became an [[apprentice]] to the painter José Luzán. Goya later moved to [[Madrid]] where he studied with [[Anton Raphael Mengs]], a painter who was popular with Spanish royalty. Goya and Mengs did not like each other, and Goya got bad marks in his [[examination]]s. Goya tried to join the Spanish Royal Academy of Fine Art in 1763 and 1766, but failed. He then traveled to [[Rome]].