The inspiration behind my choosing Dante Alighieri's Inferno came from research in to biblical stories and myths. I was intrigued by the grisly subject matter of Goya's Saturn, and the story behind it. I found the myths and legends of ancient Rome to be too complicated and involve too many characters with pre-defined traits. 

Another piece of inspiration that surrounded Goya's paintings for me was the stark difference between his public, commercial paintings and his private series, his 'Black Paintings'  - found painted on canvas and on the walls in his house. The subject matter varies extremely from his commercial paintings, the colour used, and the method of paint application is a total contrast to his public work.

Above we see three of Goya's commercial paintings: Señora Sabasa Garcia (1806–1811), Spring (1786-87) and La Cometa, (1777–78). The colours are very saturated, bright and plentiful - the atmosphere of the paintings is light, airy and the portrait is a very typical, formal sitter. 

Above are three of Goya's Black Paintings. Goya was struck with illness that affected him both physically and mentally. This was during a period of convalescence in 1793-4, in which he bought a house and allowed his inner demons to escape and fill the walls. The subject matter in these paintings is far far darker and more twisted, and very brutally illustrated. The paintings featured above are limited to sepia tones, and the faces on the characters have been deformed - so much so that they almost become demon, or mask like.

I particularly like the limited colour palette on these paintings, they give a very ethereal and somber quality to the images. The Dog (1819-1823) was painted directly onto one of the walls in Goya's house, and it certainly evokes a very stark, upsetting image that leaves many questions for the reader. I would like to be able to make my images evoke some kind of narrative response from the viewer.