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Primary sourcePainting1812-1819

The Madhouse

Francisco Goya · 1812-1819

A painting by Goya depicting a mental asylum and its inhabitants, based on a scene he witnessed, reflecting his interest in madness and confinement.

Goya painted this scene of a mental asylum, reflecting his lifelong preoccupation with madness, suffering and confinement.

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Painting of an interior of a barred, vaulted room with a grated window high on the left. Semi-nude and ragged figures sit, lie, and stand on a stone floor; a figure in a tricorn hat and loincloth gestures among them, and a woman in a white dress sits at right. Earth tones throughout.
Francisco Goya, The Madhouse, 1812-1819. Royal Academy of Fine Arts of San Fernando, Madrid.

About this source

What it is

This oil-on-panel painting was made by Francisco Goya between 1812 and 1819, based on a scene he witnessed at the Zaragoza mental asylum. It shows various inmates in different states of distress inside a dim, barred room. It is held today by the Royal Academy of Fine Arts of San Fernando.

Why it matters

Goya created this work during a period of serious illness and personal hardship, which shifted his art toward darker, more unsettling subjects. The painting reflects debates of his time about the treatment of the mentally ill, including the practice of confining and restraining patients, and connects to Goya's broader body of work exploring suffering and cruelty, such as his etching series The Disasters of War.

Look closer

  • What details in the room suggest confinement and lack of care for the people inside?
  • Why might Goya have chosen this unusual and disturbing subject rather than a more typical commissioned scene?
  • What does this painting suggest about attitudes toward mental illness in Goya's time?

This painting is part of the curated material that grounds the AI version of Francisco Goya on Humy.ai — when students ask about related events, the AI can quote it and cite it.

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Secondary source

The Third of May 1808

Francisco Goya · 1814

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Primary source

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Primary source

Y no hai remedio

Francisco de Goya · c. 1810-1814 (published 1863)

Etching from Goya's Caprichos, plate 43. A sleeping man rests his head on a desk with his arms folded while owls, bats, and a cat gather around him in a dark sky. Caption reads 'El sueño de la razón produce monstruos.' Number 43 in the top right corner.Painting

Primary source

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Francisco Goya · 1799 (created 1797-1798)

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Primary source

The Sleep of Reason Produces Monsters

Francisco Goya · 1797-1799

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