Saturn Devouring His Son (c. 1819-1823) is part of Spanish romantic painter Francisco Goya’s (1746-1828) Black Painting series, where he painted 14 works onto the walls of his house directly. The disturbing painting depicts the Greek story of the Titan ruler Saturn who, worried that he might be overthrown by one of his children, ate them each upon their birth. Saturn’s large, awkward frame emerges from a dark ambiguous setting, his eyes bulging while his mouth opens wide to take another bite. The hanging corpse dangling from Saturn’s grip is eerily still. His consumed form provides the only source of saturated color in the composition - blood red.

Read more about the work that inspired this pin HERE.