In this artwork, how is the Critical reception discussed?
Critics have not reached a consensus about the meaning or purpose of The Madhouse (as well as Yard with Lunatics). Some have argued that it exemplifies how Goya lost touch with the public (as it is not a work that one would typically hang in a home setting), while others have said that it fits in the same market as pieces that depict violence. It has also been debated how effective, if at all, this work was in the movement to reform asylums (led by Philippe Pinel and William Tuke), and if it was even attempting to cause change or was instead affirming the belief that the mentally ill should be confined and shackled.
Philippe Pinel Yard with Lunatics William Tuke reform asylums depict violence