Chapter 1 of 6
A Maja Who Stares Back
Look at how calmly she returns your gaze. Goya painted her for Manuel Godoy, the powerful first minister of Spain, to hang in a private cabinet beside her famous undressed twin, the two canvases possibly mounted so one could slide to reveal the other. She is a maja, a working-class woman of Madrid prized for her swagger and style.
What makes this picture singular is its honesty: no goddess, no myth, just a real woman reclining on green velvet, fully dressed, completely in command of the room and of you.
