Bravo! by Francisco Goya (Interpretation and Analysis)

Bravo! by Francisco Goya
Source: Art Institute of Chicago

Today, I want to return to one of my favorite topics in art, Francisco Goya’s groundbreaking series of prints: Los Caprichos. Goya published Los Caprichos—a series of etchings that depict the social ills of contemporary Spanish culture, in 1799—at the dawn of a new century that would change Spain forever.

This print, number thirty eight in the series, is one of the more comedic plates in the series. Bravo! paints a satirical image of human ignorance. Here, we see a donkey listening intently as a monkey attempts to play a guitar that he is holding backwards. In the background, two shadowy figures laugh at the idiotic scene.

Goya, who captioned each print in the series, explains, “if ears were all that were needed to appreciate it, no one could listen more intelligently; but it is to be feared that he is applauding what is soundless.” The print conveys a simple message, no one can be more ignorant than a creature that applauds music that does not exist. This print is one of many that uses the donkey as a symbolic figure in order to ridicule human behavior; it’s worthwhile to note that donkeys are traditionally associated with idiocy in European cultures. As art historian Janis Tomlinson notes, ignorance in the Caprichos is presented as “an oppressive force” that “knows no class boundaries.” In this case, it is represented by figurative deafness, a physical form of this oppression.

The Enlightenment was, in many ways, a crusade against ignorance. The image of the donkey, acting as a human, is a satirical way of representing this abstract idea. Goya implies that ignorance makes man an animal; intelligence is what makes man human. Similarly, the monkey, unable to properly play the guitar, represents base ignorance. He and the donkey are well matched, neither recognizing the senselessness of their situation.

Disclaimer: I’m not an art historian or an expert on this topic. The above is my opinion, based on my interpretation of my foreknowledge of art and history. If I’ve done any additional research, I’ll note it above.