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Three bare-chested characters wearing dunce caps hold a fourth, nude character in the air while another lies on the floor, covering his ears, A sixth figure flees, his head covered with a white cloth. With his hand, he makes the gesture intended to protect him from the evil eye. At the right of the scene, a donkey stands out against the neutral background. This was one of six canvases Goya sold to
Goya depicts Saint John as an adolescent, holding his traditional attributes: a cross whose banner reads “Lamb of God.” The artist places him on a boulder, looking up and thinking about Christ´s future Passion. This is an original conception of a religious subject that was quite frequent in Spain beginning with the Baroque painters. The color scheme, which is exceptionally vivid, as well as
María Teresa de Bourbon y Vallabriga, Marchioness of Boadilla del Monte and Countess of Chichón, was the daughter of infante Luis Antonio de Bourbon by María Teresa Vallabriga y Rozas. She was born inn the family palace of Velada (Toledo) on 26 November 1780, during the distancing from the court to which she was subject, along with her mother and brothers. On the death of Luis
A preparatory drawing for Disparates, 16, Exhortation. The series of figures aligned to form a chain alludes to the difficulty of choosing between virtue and chastity, on one hand; and lechery and vice, on the other. The priest shown scolding a man represents reflection, reason and good; while the masked figures that appear on the left beside a woman pulling on a man, symbolize hypocrisy and lies.
This scene shows a person shooting fire out of his mouth before a crowd of astonished onlookers, including a boy in the foreground. In light of the critical interpretation of the Disparates series, this may be an allegory of the trickery suffered by ingenuous commoners at the hands of charlatans and false leaders. Sánchez Cantón suggested Charlatan’s Folly as a possible title, while
There is no known engraving of this drawing, which shows a multitude of small figures climbing the body of a sleeping giant with a brightly lit face. Unlike other works by Goya, the giant’s facial features are not frightening here. Citing its possible relation to Jonathan Swift’s novel, Gulliver’s Travels, Sánchez Cantón and others opted to call it Gulliver and the dwarves. Cam&oacut
Disparates, 16, Exhortation. The print varies from this preparatory drawing in certain aspects of its composition. It increases the number of figures, which makes it more confusing, and adds a dramatic tone to the woman’s facial expression. The series of figures aligned to form a chain alludes to the difficulty of choosing between virtue and chastity, on one hand; and lechery and vice, on the othe
Disasters of War, 59, What is the use of a cup?. Goya devoted many of the prints in the first part of The Disasters of War to scenes in which the civilian population is the innocent victim of soldiers´ excesses, particularly with women presented as the object of the invaders´ sexual violence. Although the Disasters do not follow a strict order, there is a structure that allows us to see how Goya a
In his novel, Rinconete and Cortadillo (1613), Miguel de Cervantes has his character, Monipodio, say the following about two old men in his band of criminals, who, despite being thieves, “were man of considerable truth and very honorable, with good lives and reputations. God-fearing and conscientious, they attended mass every day with strange devotion.” The adjective that qualifies their devotion
Disasters of War, 52, They do not arrive in time.In this series of prints executed between 1810 and 1814 Goya offers a critical and personal vision of the consequences of the Spanish Peninsular War (1808-14) that is remote from the propagandistic images produced by his contemporaries. Through his etchings the artist condemned the irrationality of war and the brutality of both sides, which inevitab
Rather than simply reflecting concrete events, Goya sought to capture their essence. He therefore placed himself alongside the action, taking part in a way that no previous artist ever had. This explains the proximity of the figures presented in each of the Disasters, which are monumental and very close to the viewer, barely leaving room for anecdotal details in the background. It is possible to i
When Goya penciled his tiles on the complete set of prints that he gave to his friend, Ceán Bermúdez, each word was rigorously adapted to the composition and to the critical intentions with which it had been conceived. Such is also the case with this preparatory drawing, in which the woman’s condition as a mother is emphasized by the presence of her young daughter, while the adjectiv
Disasters of War, 76, The carnivorous vulture.In this series of prints executed between 1810 and 1814 Goya offers a critical and personal vision of the consequences of the Spanish Peninsular War (1808-14) that is remote from the propagandistic images produced by his contemporaries. Through his etchings the artist condemned the irrationality of war and the brutality of both sides, which inevitably
Disasters of War, 78, He defends himself well. In this series of prints executed between 1810 and 1814 Goya offers a critical and personal vision of the consequences of the Spanish Peninsular War (1808-14) that is remote from the propagandistic images produced by his contemporaries. Through his etchings the artist condemned the irrationality of war and the brutality of both sides, which inevitably
The interpretation of the Emphatic Caprices focuses on different aspects of the repression and the return to absolutism that followed King Ferdinand VII’s return to Spain. These are clearly set out in his Royal Decree of May 4, 1814: “In accordance with the decided and widespread demonstrations of my peoples’ will, inasmuch as they are just and well founded, We declare [...] that constitution and
Disasters of War, 70, They do not know the way.In this series of prints executed between 1810 and 1814 Goya offers a critical and personal vision of the consequences of the Spanish Peninsular War (1808-14) that is remote from the propagandistic images produced by his contemporaries. Through his etchings the artist condemned the irrationality of war and the brutality of both sides, which inevitably
Disasters of war, 42, Everything is topsy-turvy.In this series of prints executed between 1810 and 1814 Goya offers a critical and personal vision of the consequences of the Spanish Peninsular War (1808-14) that is remote from the propagandistic images produced by his contemporaries. Through his etchings the artist condemned the irrationality of war and the brutality of both sides, which inevitabl
Disasters of War, 43, This too.In this series of prints executed between 1810 and 1814 Goya offers a critical and personal vision of the consequences of the Spanish Peninsular War (1808-14) that is remote from the propagandistic images produced by his contemporaries. Through his etchings the artist condemned the irrationality of war and the brutality of both sides, which inevitably resulted in suf
