Gallant Conversation
c. 1775-1780 Musée des Beaux-Arts d'Agen
About this artwork
This small oil painting on canvas depicts a man in 18th-century Spanish attire approaching a woman holding a folding fan in an outdoor landscape. It is part of the collection at the Musée des Beaux-Arts d'Agen.
Did you know?
This piece is a classic example of Goya's 'majo' and 'maja' themes, which celebrate the fashionable, often rebellious lower-middle-class urbanites of Madrid. The 'gallant conversation' was a popular genre motif in 18th-century art, highlighting the playful courtship rituals of the time. The woman's use of a fan was a sophisticated language of its own, often used to signal secret interest or dismissal to a suitor.
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Gallant Conversation
Francisco de Goya, c. 1775-1780
