Plate 27 from "The Disasters of War" (Los Desastres de la Guerra): 'Charity' (Caridad)
Original title: Plate 27 from "The Disasters of War" (Los Desastres de la Guerra): 'Charity' (Caridad)
kurzbeschreibung
Plate 27 from Francisco de Goya y Lucientes's etching series 'The Disasters of War' (Los Desastres de la Guerra) takes up the theme of 'Mercy'. A group of people surrounds a wounded or dying fighter. This proof impression, executed in etching, drypoint, and burin, measures 16.3 × 23.2 cm (plate) and dates from 1810.
Description
A warrior lies on the ground, and several figures have gathered around him in varied poses. A kneeling man holds a sword, while a standing woman fixes her gaze on the fallen man. Those present wear plain contemporary clothing; behind them, more people can be made out, lying on the ground or moving about. The landscape stretches flat with a few hills beneath a clear sky. The layout thrives on movement and places the interplay of figures at its heart.
Context
Between 1810 and 1820, Goya worked on the series 'The Disasters of War', responding to the Napoleonic Wars in Spain and the Restoration that followed. This sheet is dated 1810, when Goya was serving as court painter and observing the conflict at close hand. The series was not published until 1863, many years after the artist's death.
Impact
The tight grouping of figures and the insistent expression of suffering give the sheet a direct emotional force. Because the execution remains monochrome and light falls evenly across the image, attention settles on how people act toward one another; the drama of the event is heightened as a result.
Technique
An etching forms the base, reworked with drypoint and burin. The present impression is a proof, suggesting an early state of the plate. This method allows fine lines and shading that precisely render figures and landscape.
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Source: Metropolitan Museum of Art · Public Domain (CC0 1.0)