The starting point of this journey through Goyas life in 18th-century Spain is Hughes own first encounter with the artists work when he was a student in Australia. The remainder of the book charts the artists entire career, describing his painted and graphic oeuvre within its historical context. Particular attention is paid to Goyas patrons, his favourite themes (portraits, scenes of warfare and terror, satirical prints and so on), his criticism of the Catholic Church and encounters with the Inquisition, his fierce anti-war stance and his reputation in his lifetime. What emerges is a picture of an artist deeply engaged with life around him and fully committed to documenting it with an unflinching eye for truth and injustice.