Charles IV, King of Spain c. 1789 - 1792

Curator: We're looking at a portrait of Charles IV, King of Spain, attributed to Francisco José de Goya y Lucientes. Editor: It's…oddly gentle, isn't it? Not what you expect from a royal portrait. Almost…vulnerable. Curator: Attributed is the operative word here. The handling of the paint seems looser, less precise than we typically see in Goya's royal commissions. You can really see the strokes in the robes. Editor: The looseness almost makes it feel more honest, like a sketch capturing a fleeting moment. I wonder about the canvas itself—the weave, the preparation—how that affected the application. Curator: Perhaps a study for something grander? Or maybe a commentary on the state of the monarchy itself—less polished, less idealized. Editor: It’s really something, to think about the labor involved, layering paint to create such an enduring, if enigmatic, image of power, or perhaps the illusion of it. Curator: It leaves you wondering, doesn’t it? About the hand, the materials, the king…the truth.