Francisco Goya: A Life Painted in Shadow and Light Francisco José de Goya y Lucientes, born March 30, 1746, in Fuendetodos, Spain, remains one of the most profoundly influential figures in Western art. His career spanned over six decades, evolving from a court painter to a deeply personal and often unsettling chronicler of his time. More than simply an artist, Goya was a social observer, a political commentator, and a master of captur…