Francisco Goya's Creepy Black Paintings Explained ·
Emily Dawson
Published Jan 19, 2026
The 105-inch-wide mural that is commonly referred to as "Atropos," or "The Fates," is a work representative of several of the issues that arise when it comes to approaching Francisco Goya's elliptical Black Paintings. For instance, the painting, like many in the series, is known by two titles that alter the meaning of the painting as the viewer encounters it.
In classical Greek mythology, the three Fates were sisters and goddesses of destiny who together measured human lives as pieces of thread and plotting the paths they take. Atropos is the name of one of these goddesses, whose name translates from the Greek as "unalterable," a reminder that mortals are immutably bound to their lives which have a set duration. It is perhaps no surprise that Goya would have been attracted to this subject in the final years of his life, and that he would render the fates disturbing and grotesque.
The Goya scholar Robert Hughes offers one of the most compelling analyses of "Atropos," noting that though the painting alludes to a mythological scene, Goya alters its representation, painting four figures, not the mythical three, opening the painting up to new interpretations. He notes that while the three surrounding Fates are shown handling the thread of life, the central figure that looks out at the viewer appears to be tied up, perhaps representing human life as a helpless victim of fate. Though it has been speculated that this may be an intertextual reference to another myth — of Prometheus — the figure also offers an insight into Goya's state of mind, and his feeling of being trapped by ill-health and old age.
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