Chatty conversation
Ca. 1795. Wash, Bistre on laid paper.Not on display
Chatty conversation (Sketchbook B, 31) is one of the darkest drawings in the first part of the Album B, and not only due to its dark interior atmosphere. The banality of an elegant gathering is rendered somewhat disquieting here by the presence of two masked characters in the background, being looked at by the young woman in the foreground. The drawing is located among scenes of courtship, passion and gender violence, so it may be interpreted in the context of the not-always-so-transparent relationships between men and women.
On its reverse: Encounter while strolling (Sketchbook B, 32). An internal structure that may be interpreted as a narrative can sometimes be sensed in Goya´s albums. This drawing would seem to recount the tragic story of a woman and her love affairs. At first it is unclear whether or not this countryside encounter is illicit, though a number of elements such as the woman´s covered head, the gentleman´s disturbing smile as he approaches the young girl and restless barking lapdog protected by its owner, suggest its true nature.
Matilla Rodríguez, José Manuel, Ligereza y atrevimiento. Dibujos de Goya, Santander, Fundación Botín, 2017, p.70 n.30A; 173 n.30A
