Look how Solemn they Are! (Miren que Grabes!) by Francisco Goya (Interpretation and Analysis)

-
Look how Solemn they Are!
Source: MET Museum
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, entitled Miren que Grabes! (which translates to Look how Solemn they Are!) is the sixty-third print in the series. It presents a criticism of Spain’s hereditary nobility. Here, we see two monstrous “witches,” which many contemporary accounts identify as representatives of the nobility and clergy, sitting astride two donkey-like animals. It is noted that, “[o]ne of them is a courageous thief. The other is a fanatic savage. Such are the kings and principal magistrates of the towns. Even with all of this... [the people] acclaim them and trust them with their government.” Goya mocks the false righteousness and dignity of a social class that, though not fit to rule, is consistently allowed to hold leadership positions due to hereditary privilege and tradition.

Central to enlightenment thought in Goya’s time were notions of national welfare. As historian Richard Herr explains, enlightened thinkers believed that the “prosperity of the multitude would bring well-being to the nation.” They celebrated values such as “sobriety and industry.” There was no place for an idle aristocrat in this world view. Goya presents the idea that the nobleman “tak[ing] a little exercise on horseback,” is just as useless and ridiculous as a witch, riding about on his familiar; as a contemporary commentary notes, the creatures in this print are “riding on their vices.” Though they may appear “solemn” on horseback, the two figures are poisonous to national well-being. Instead, Goya calls upon the nobility to provide “service to society and compassion for inferiors” (in the words of Herr).

The print, composed mostly of etching, was part of the original Sueños series, the precursor to Los Caprichos. These early prints were characterized by the portrayal of “goblins” and witches. Goya also returns to this theme in Thou who canst not, a Capricho that post-dated Look how solemn they are! In Thou who canst not, as in Look how solemn they are!, the nobleman is presented as a, literal and figurative, burden to society.

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.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Le Chat Aux Poissons Rouges by Henri Matisse (Interpretation and Analysis)

-
Image
Le Chat Aux Poissons Rouges Source: Pinterest French artist Henri Matisse is rather famous for his paintings of goldfish. In fact, one of his most famous paintings, entitled Goldfish , depicts several of the aforementioned fish swimming in a bowl. Matisse is one of the most famous artists of the twentieth century. His work is closely associated with the Fauvist movement and is generally characterized by great energy and rich, intense colors. Based on my research , Matisse began painting goldfish after he traveled to North Africa. In Morocco, Matisse observed locals watching goldfish swim in their bowls as they sunk into a meditative state. The fish subsequently became a symbol for this sense of tranquility, coming to represent an idyllic version of the world only accessible through joyous day-dreams. These calming fish are prominent in this painting, which is entitled Le Chat Aux Poissons Rouges (which translates to The Cat With Red Fishes ). However, the serene energy of the fish
Read more

Five Puerto Rican Artists You Should Know

-
Image
The island of Puerto Rico has a long and vibrant artistic tradition. Western, Indigenous, and African cultures have all left their mark on Puerto Rican art, creating a colorful and unique visual legacy. While Puerto Rican artists have demonstrated their excellence throughout the years— from the creators of the captivating Taino petroglyphs to the sophisticated and subtle works of the Modernist painters—Puerto Rican art has received little attention from art historians and the wider art world. Here are five underappreciated Puerto Rican artists that you should know: 1. José Campeche José Campeche is often known as the first Puerto Rican painter in the Western history of fine arts. He was primarily known for his religious paintings and his portraits of elite Puerto Ricans, and today his work is recognized as some of the finest examples of Rococo art produced in the Americas. Campeche’s personal story is also inspiring. The son of a slave who had purchased his own freedom, Campech
Read more

Mural La Plena by Rafael Tufiño (Interpretation and Analysis)

-
Image
Mural la Plena Source: Museo de Arte de Puerto Rico Today I want to chat about a monumental piece of art that I recently had the pleasure of seeing at the Museo de Arte de Puerto Rico. As the name suggests, Mural La Plena is a massive mural, fifteen by thirty feet in size, that was created by Puerto Rican artist Rafael Tufiño to commemorate la plena, a wildly popular genre of music that was born in the city of Ponce around 1900. The mural, which might appear abstract or incomprehensible to a viewer unfamiliar with the subject matter, illustrates the lyrics of popular plena songs. For example, the blue-green figure that dominates the upper half of the mural represents the hurricane from the plena “Temporal,” which mourns the destruction caused by a storm. Plena, as a genre, tells stories. According to my research , the lyrics come from current events, re-telling the stories that affected the lives of the people of Ponce. It began as a way for people of low socio-economic sta
Read more