Swooning in the countryside
1794 - 1795. Brush, Grey-brown ink, Bistre on laid paper.Not on display
In the Madrid Sketchbook (Album B), women are often accompanied by men, in postures and situations that reveal their true condition. The fainting young woman, who rests her hand on the waist of the man solicitously attending her, is the reason of the other two women´s smiles. Goya insinuates the cause of the matter by leaving subtle hints of what might be occurring behind the scene. The looks, gestures and motions seem to suggest that the cause of her fainting has to do with her relationship with the man, surely a pregnancy.
On the reverse the scene Oh, what dolls! The gesture of the maja resting her hand on her waist in a way of self-assertion and looking askance reveals her strong character. The man,- who is depicted with a light wash-, sits backwards wrapped in a cloak and wearing a tricorn, this contrast with the frontal presence of the maja, and he would seem to be the object of her mockery. The inscription Ay muñecos [Oh, what dolls!], handwritten by Goya, may express the woman´s thinking about the men she is able to manipulate at her whim.
Matilla Rodríguez, José Manuel, Ligereza y atrevimiento. Dibujos de Goya, Santander, Fundación Botín, 2017, p.34 n.3A / 35 n.3B; 159, n.3A / n. 3B
