Goya was interested in revealing the harsh realities of his world: the corruption of Spain's rulers, the French revolutionaries or the vanities and vulgarities of the social mores of his time. Though money and position were important to Goya, he clearly sympathized with revolutionary causes and social reforms. In a manner of speaking, he was an Independent charged by his own moral cause. Eventually, illness, deafness and disillusionment with the renewal of monarchical power caused him to leave Spain in a self-imposed exile. He retreated to Bordeaux where he lived out his remaining years. In his lifetime he worked during the reigns of four heads of state and produced 500 paintings and nearly 300 prints that, in view of the situation of the world in which we now live, continue to be a vital testament to Goya’s art and its enduring relevance.  Goya’s tragic vision is a reminder that the human condition does not change, but is illuminated, enlarged and made meaningful by art.