Focus on Truth, Time and History and discuss the Interpretations.
Art historian Martin S. Soria titles the painting Spain, Time, and History and claims that the painting was likely created around 1797. He asserts the strong influence of Cesare Ripa's Iconologia (first published in 1596) on Goya's depiction of Time and History as classic allegorical figures. In Soria's interpretation, History fulfills a traditional role, "making men immortal" by recording the actions of humanity, and she looks over her shoulder as a way of symbolizing remembrance of the past she records. Goya departs from Ripa's representation of Time (called Saturn by Ripa) because traditionally, History uses Time's back as a desk while recording events. Soria determines that the third figure in the painting represents Spain, who is pulled by Time "into a brighter future" as Time looks upward "imploring assistance from Heaven." Time's hourglass may be a political commentary on the urgency of Spain's need to move forward, a foreshadowing of Napoleon's impending occupation of Spain beginning in 1807. Soria considers Poetry a companion painting to this piece, and he interprets the two in light of each other.Some are unconvinced by Soria's interpretation of Spain as the third figure because, at the time of the painting's creation, Spain was traditionally represented in a crown with various symbols that would make her easily identifiable. The art historian Folke Nordström points to congruences between the third figure and the allegorical representation of Philosophy, as both carry books and a scepter.Eleanor Sayre, an art historian and Goya scholar, dates the painting much later, arguing that it was created in 1812. This interpretation stems from Sayre's belief that the painting refers to the Spanish Constitution of 1812. Sayre's argument leads to her to title the work Allegory of the Constitution of 1812. Those who follow this interpretation state that the third figure in the painting is representative of the law. Time's hourglass has just been turned over, "indicating that a new era begins."Juan Luna, in his description written for the Stockholm National Museum catalog, posits that the standing woman holding a book represents Spain as well as Truth. It could be an allegory of the Spanish Constitution, adopted in 1812 during Spain's liberation from Napoleonic rule, and the twofold symbolism may be designed to underscore the legitimacy of the new constitution.
Napoleon Cesare Ripa Stockholm Eleanor Sayre occupation of Spain Spanish Constitution Spain's liberation Allegory allegorical Napoleonic Spanish Constitution of 1812 Spain