Plate 32 from "Los Caprichos": Because she was susceptible (Por que fue sensible)
Original title: Plate 32 from "Los Caprichos": Because she was susceptible (Por que fue sensible)
kurzbeschreibung
Plate 32 from Francisco de Goya's Los Caprichos, titled "Because She Was Sensitive" (Por que fue sensible), is an aquatint etching made in 1799. It depicts a young woman crouching on the floor in a dimly lit room, washing her feet. The plate measures 21.5 x 15.1 cm.
Description
The woman huddles on the wooden floor, her long, tight dress pulled up to her knees, her hair tied in a knot. She is absorbed in tending her feet, her gaze lowered. Behind her, a door and a window above it let a faint glow into the otherwise dark room. Her shadow falls sharply on the floor; the contours remain soft, and the tonal range stretches from deep black to light gray. At the bottom of the image appears the Spanish title "Por que fue sensible."
Context
Between 1797 and 1799, Goya created Los Caprichos, a series of 80 aquatint etchings that attack social ills and superstition. Plate 32 belongs to a group dealing with the consequences of seduction and social exclusion. The woman washing her feet is often interpreted as a prostitute or fallen woman who, through her sensitivity, fell into a precarious situation. The series appeared in 1799 but was withdrawn from sale shortly afterward because of its sharp mockery of the nobility and clergy.
Impact
A quiet, melancholy mood hangs over the scene, brought about by the sparse light and the woman's hunched posture. The viewer witnesses an intimate, vulnerable act that is free of pathos. The reduced imagery and the dark room give the whole an oppressive yet reflective note.
Technique
For aquatint, resin powder is applied to the plate and etched, creating fine tonal gradations. Goya combined line etching and aquatint to achieve soft shadow transitions and dramatic lighting. The print was made on paper measuring 29.5 x 20.8 cm; the plate itself measures 21.5 x 15.1 cm.
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Source: Metropolitan Museum of Art · Public Domain (CC0 1.0)