Plate 39 from "Los Caprichos": And so was his grandfather (Asta su Abuelo)
Original title: Plate 39 from "Los Caprichos": And so was his grandfather (Asta su Abuelo)
kurzbeschreibung
A donkey in a shirt sits upright, reading a book of horse pictures — the subject of plate 39 from Francisco de Goya's "Los Caprichos" of 1799. This aquatint etching measures 21.4 × 15.2 cm (plate mark) and belongs to Goya's satirical attack on the social ills of his time.
Description
A dressed donkey, wearing shirt and trousers, squats upright and holds an open book with depictions of horses in its hooves. Its lowered head gives the figure a thoughtful air. Behind it lies a dark wall surface that makes the lighter animal body stand out clearly. At lower right is the caption "Asta su Abuelo"; at upper right, the number "39". The print remains monochrome throughout, in graded gray tones, as is characteristic of aquatint.
Context
In 1799 "Los Caprichos" appeared as a series of 80 aquatint etchings with which Goya commented critically on superstition, ignorance, and social injustice. Plate 39 belongs to a group of works in which humanized animals serve as an image of human foolishness. Aquatint made it possible to achieve soft tonal gradations and atmospheric effects — a new possibility for printmaking of those years.
Impact
Human clothing and animal face meet and create a strange, grotesque impression that prompts reflection on the foolishness displayed. Because the background stays dark and the palette is reduced, the eye is drawn to the donkey; the scene thus gains in seriousness. The animal's pensive posture gives the print a melancholy undertone that supports the satirical intent.
Technique
For aquatint, resin powder is dusted onto the printing plate and melted so that fine tonal steps form. Acid then etches the plate, producing the soft gray values and textured areas. Line etching and aquatint together allowed Goya to combine clear contours with painterly shading.
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Source: Metropolitan Museum of Art · Public Domain (CC0 1.0)