Goya`s own words enhance this multi-faceted celebration of his life and work, and lend his uncompromising vision an eloquent immediacy. I, Goya is the second volume in Prestel`s series of monographs intricately linking the artists` words with their works. Like the tremendously successful I, Michelangelo, this study of the famous Spanish painter uses numerous illustrations, color reproductions, maps, and timelines to create a comprehensive portrayal of the world that informed and inspired Goya`s multifarious oeuvre. From his early tapestries and horrific depictions of the Napoleonic invasion to his seductive, often charming, portraits, and acerbic, politically charged etchings, the reader can trace the development of Goya`s bold technique, as well as appreciate his keen eye for the realities and absurdities of everyday life. Visually captivating, and interspersed throughout with illuminating quotations from the artist, this is an absorbing glimpse into the life and times of an artist whose work - two centuries later - remains hauntingly prescient.