Francisco Goya was one of the most influential Spanish painters in art history, famed for work that stylistically bridged the world of the Old Masters and the Modern era. Having spent his early years as an apprentice to a court painter in Madrid, between 1775-92 he produced dozens of large-scale Rococo-style cartoons for the royal tapestry factory. By 1786, he had become an official court painter in his own right, only to be struck completely deaf in 1792 following a mysterious illness. While recovering, he produced his first truly original works, Los Caprichos, which played with elements of fantasy, satire and the occult. Influenced by Velázquez, his royal portraits became more painterly and expressive, whilst the French occupation of his country during the Peninsula War led to his savage series of etchings known as The Disasters of War (1810-14). Increasingly reclusive, he painted his famous Black Paintings on the walls of his country house, conjuring up dark nightmarish imagery that would inform 20th century Surrealism.