Art is the Solution

Duendecitos Source: Royal Academy of Arts Today, Francisco Goya is known as one of the most creative and forward-looking artists of the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries. This was a turbulent time in Europe, marked by war, revolution, and intellectual and political upheaval. This chaos provided ample artistic subjects for Goya, and current events and social attitudes became frequent themes in his work. Hobgoblins ( Duendecitos in Spanish) comes from Goya’s Caprichos , a series of prints created around the turn of the century. These prints present a satirical image of Spanish society, criticizing the follies, superstitions, and ignorance of people from every walk of life. The creation of the Caprichos marks a major turning point in Goya’s artistic life. Throughout his early career, Goya worked as a court artist, focusing mostly on formal portraits and tapestry cartoons intended to decorate royal residences. Since this work was created for patrons, it was fairly conventio...

Linda maestra! Source: Metropolitan Museum of Art Francisco Goya can best be described as a visionary artist. Goya’s work was wildly original, and his art often touches upon strange and fantastical themes. He was certainly way ahead of his time compared to other eighteenth century Spanish artists. Goya’s print series Los Caprichos , published in 1799, is widely considered to be one the most influential artistic projects of its time. The Caprichos were not widely known at the time of their publication, but they had a resounding impact on art over the next hundred years. Although the Caprichos series explores themes of the Enlightenment—which is usually associated with logic and reason—many of the prints are incredibly dark, full of violence, chaos, and black magic. Thus, they’re perfect for Spooky Season (a.k.a. October). Two of the major themes in Los Caprichos are prostitution and witchcraft, both of which are closely related to the way Goya viewed social ills in contemporary Spani...

Out Hunting for Teeth Source: MET Museum Francisco Goya’s print series Los Caprichos is widely considered to be one the most influential artistic projects of its time. The Caprichos were not widely known at the time of their publication, but they had a resounding impact on art over the next hundred years. Although the Caprichos series explores themes of the Enlightenment—which is usually associated with logic and reason—many of the prints are incredibly dark, full of violence, chaos, and black magic. Thus, they’re perfect for Spooky Season (a.k.a. October). A Caza de Dientes (which translates to Out Hunting for Teeth ) is one of the most disturbing scenes in the series. The piece depicts a young woman reaching into the mouth of a hanged man to extract his teeth. Her face is turned away in horrified disgust and she holds a cloth up to her cheeks as if it will defend her from the repulsive act she performs. The corpse hangs from a rope of the right, hands bound together and feet bare...

Ni así la Distingue Source: Museo del Prado Spanish artist Francisco Goya is known as one of the leading artists of the Enlightenment period. The Enlightenment was an intellectual movement that developed in eighteenth century Europe; the movement encouraged people and governments to act in more logical and rational ways that were based on scientific study and observation of the natural world. Goya, as a member of the Enlightenment movement, was particularly bothered by superstition and backwards social customs more generally. In a series of prints entitled Los Caprichos, Goya set out to identify and criticize the many faults of Spanish society, which was mired in centuries-old superstitions, corruption, and outdated social customs at the time. Goya was particularly interested in exploring the relationships between men and women, which were disproportionately dominated by hypocrisy and exploitation at the time. A large number of the Los Caprichos prints focused on this theme. Ni a...

¡Qué sacrificio! Source: Wikimedia Commons Francisco Goya’s print series Los Caprichos is widely considered to be one the most influential artistic projects of its time. Although the Caprichos were not widely known at the time of their publication, they had a resounding impact on art over the next hundred years. One of the major themes of the series is the relationship between men and women. ¡Qué sacrificio! is an excellent example of this theme. The piece depicts a young woman in a white dress surrounded by a crowd of leering men. One man, whom Goya portrays as an oafish lout, leans toward her, examining her in a suggestive way. The woman, whom Goya portrays as the victim of the situation, looks away from the men, pain and distress evident on her face. The piece implies that the man is courting her in some way, with the title suggesting that the woman will be forced to accept his advances. The print offers a criticism of the social structures that forced young women to bind the...

Nadie Se Conoce Source: The Metropolitan Museum of Art As I have written many times, Spanish artist Francisco Goya was one of the most forward looking and inspired artists of his time. His work was extraordinary in terms of style and content, and his impact on art is immeasurable. However, it is his Caprichos series that ranks as one of his most astonishing artistic accomplishments. 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. Nadie Se Conoce (which translates to Nobody Knows Himself ) is the sixth print in the series. The piece contains multiple layers of meaning. On the surface, it is a carnival scene with disguised men and women cavorting in the streets. Traditionally, carnival was a time when people could let loose and disregard traditional social roles and limitations. Thus, the festival functions as a liminal space in culture, acting as a ...

Ya van Desplumados Source: Wikimedia Commons I’ve written many times about my love for Francisco Goya’s work. Goya is one of my favorite artists. His work is endlessly interesting to me; his style is expressive and the content is often highly original and imaginative. One of the recurring themes in his oeuvre is the relationship between men and women. Goya was constantly interested in exploring human interactions and the way society treats certain individuals. Ya van Desplumados (which translates to There they go plucked) is an example of this aspect of his work. The print comes from the Los Caprichos series, a series of etchings that depict the social ills of contemporary Spanish culture. Ya van Desplumados depicts a group of prostitutes beating plucked birds with human heads with brooms. The birds represent the women’s clients. The implication is that they have “plucked” the men, stealing their money and possessions. Here, the women are portrayed as predators, preying on i...

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...

Neither More nor Less 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 Ni Mas ni Menos ( Neither More nor Less ), is part of the Capricho’s so-called asses sequence, which presents a series of images of donkeys acting in human roles. The print, number 41 in the series, offers a direct satire of an art form vital to Goya’s artistic career: portraiture. Here, we see a grinning ass posing for a portrait. The title of the print seems to be his instructions to the painter, a monkey; the donkey wants to be painted as “neither more nor less” than he actually is. Of course, as can be seen in the half finished portrait, this is not what the ass really wants. The monkey has painted a rather sol...

Si Sabrá mas el discipulo? 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, the first in the Capricho’s so-called asses sequence—which presents a series of images of donkeys acting in human roles—provides a direct satire of Spanish education. Here, a donkey masquerades as a teacher, instructing other, young donkeys. A contemporary description (from the Ayala Commentary) sarcastically comments, “teachers who are asses cannot but produce students that are asses.” In this context, the word ass has the idiomatic double meaning of idiot and donkey, a play on the subject of the image. The image suggests the bad teachers make bad students, perpetuating the cycle of ignorance and indolent academic pract...

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 app...

How They Pluck Her! Source: The MET Today, I want to return to one of my favorite subjects in art: Francisco Goya’s Caprichos series. Goya published Los Caprichos —a series of etchings that depict the social ills of contemporary Spanish culture—in 1799, at the beginning of a century that would bring tremendous change to Spain. This print, entitled How they pluck her! ( ¡Qual la descañonan! ) is the twenty first in the series. It is one of many Caprichos that deals with the plight of prostitutes in Spanish culture. Here, we see a prostitute—represented as a “night-hunting bird”—being attacked by three feline creatures that art historian Eleanor Sayre interprets as a constable, notary, and magistrate. The image refers to unscrupulous law enforcers, who commonly mistreated vulnerable women while hiding behind their positions; as The Ayala Commentary (a contemporary description of the Caprichos ) reports, “judges take notaries and constables under their cloaks [their protection] so...

Tu Que no Puedes Source:  The Metropolitan Museum of Art Today, I want to return to the subject of Francisco Goya’s Caprichos series. Goya published Los Caprichos in 1799, a series of etchings that depict the social ills of contemporary Spanish culture. This print from the series, entitled Tu Que no Puedes (Thou who canst not) presents a criticism of idle, useless aristocrats. The print depicts two donkeys being carried on the shoulders of two men; the satirical implication here is that the donkeys, who, in the natural order of things, should be carrying the men, are so useless that the men have to carry them. The men, dressed in rags, represent the everyday, ordinary people of Spain, who must support the lazy, extravagant aristocracy. According to historian Richard Herr, Enlightened Spanish thinking was centered around an “ideal landscape” in which “idle aristocrats...were out of place, and poverty-stricken laborers would disappear.” Goya espouses these ideals in ma...

They Spruce Themselves Up Source: The MET Today, I want to return to talking about my favorite subject: Francisco Goya’s Los Caprichos series. In this etching, They Spruce Themselves Up ( Se Repulen ), we see three unidentifiable creatures, busily engaged in clipping their nails and otherwise “sprucing themselves up.” Contemporary viewers interpreted these gruesome figures corrupt government officials. In fact, The Biblioteca Nacional Commentary— a contemporary commentary located in the Madrid National Library—noted that “the employees that rob the state help and support each other. Their chief lifts up his neck and he makes shade for them with his monstrous wings.” However, on a more literal level, the image is a commentary on vanity, a theme that Goya explored throughout his work, especially within Los Caprichos . Goya’s absurd print points out that even these grotesque creatures have their vanity, even though no amount of “sprucing” will make them visually appealing. Goy...

What a Golden Beak! Source: Philadelphia Museum of Art I want to return to talking about one of my favorite subjects in art: Francisco Goya’s Los Caprichos series. Today I want to touch on the 53rd etching in the series, Que pico de Oro! (What a Golden Beak!) As I’ve noted before, Spain was slow to adopt the social and intellectual advances of the Enlightenment movement. The Spanish intellectual class was rather conservative, and was thus often decades behind the academic and scientific progress. What a Golden Beak! presents a criticism of Spanish scholars. Here, a group of men surround a parrot, perched on a raised dais. The men, open mouthed and idiotic, look up at the parrot intently; the image was sarcastically described by Goya as “an academic meeting” in the Prado Manuscript, which contains his contemporary descriptions of each piece. Goya’s title plays off the phrase “golden beak,” which a contemporary Spanish dictionary defines as “a speech given with energy, discretio...

Of What Ill Will He Die? Source: Museo Prado Today, I want to return to talking about Francisco Goya’s Los Caprichos series. As I’ve noted before, Los Caprichos are a series of etchings that depict the social ills of contemporary Spanish culture. In this particular print — entitled De que mal morira? ( Of what ill will he die? ) — Goya criticizes the medical profession. The piece depicts an ass, masquerading as a doctor, bending over a dying man’s sickbed. The donkey’s most prominent feature is a huge diamond ring, which he wears around his hoof. The jewel reminds the viewer that wealth does not equate to knowledge. A doctor might be respected, affluent, and celebrated without being a competent physician. The etching points out that appearance is no guarantee of substance, as even a donkey can be made to look respectable. As the Museo Prado notes , “the donkey represents the fool who has attained an elevated place in society through the incompetent practising of medicine, pro...

Hasta su Abuelo Source: Museo del Prado For day two, I wanted to share another piece from Francisco Goya’s series, Los Caprichos . If you would like some background about Los Caprichos , read what I wrote yesterday. Hasta Su Abuelo , which translates as “and so was his grandfather” or “as far back as his grandfather,” satirizes hereditary nobility and challenges their place in society. The piece depicts a donkey, dressed in what is presumably a fine set of clothes, proudly studying his family tree. In my opinion, this is an obvious caricature of an aristocrat, obsessed with studying their own genealogy and holding a conceited view of their own self-importance. In the wake of the French Revolution and the English Civil War (and subsequent Glorious Revolution), the idea of Divine Kingship was on its last legs in Europe. Given this context, Hasta Su Abuelo points out the absurdity of awarding respect or power to a person because of their ancestors, just as it would be absurd to s...

The sleep of reason produces monsters (No. 43), from Los Caprichos Credit: Google Cultural Institute To kick off this project, I want to talk about one of my favorite artists: Francisco Goya. A Spaniard who hailed from the northern city of Zaragoza, Goya was—in my opinion—one of the greatest painters and luminaries of his generation and probably one of the most talented and creative Spanish artists of all time. In 1799, Goya published Los Caprichos (translating to the caprices in English), a series of etchings that depict the social ills of contemporary Spanish culture. The Sleep of Reason Produces Monsters is among the most poignant in the series. This etching can be seen as a reaction to the Enlightenment, a system of thought that promoted science and evidence based study as a way to understand the world. By the standards of the Enlightenment, Goya’s Spain could be seen as rather a backwards nation, behind the curve on industrialization and plagued by war, political misman...