They have flown (Volaverunt)
Original title: Plate 61 from "Los Caprichos": They have flown (Volaverunt)
kurzbeschreibung
Francisco de Goya published 'They Have Flown' (Volaverunt) in 1799 as part of his print series Los Caprichos. Made with drypoint and aquatint, the sheet presents a female figure hovering above the ground, while several motionless bodies lie beneath her.
Description
A woman in dark robes drifts across the image with arms outstretched, her pose frozen as if in flight. Her hair rises into a crown-like structure on her head. Three figures lie below her, unconscious or already dead. Diffuse light separates their bodies from one another; the soft greys come from aquatint. Because the figures are not arranged symmetrically, the composition stays restless.
Context
This print belongs to the 80 etchings of Los Caprichos, which Goya issued in 1799. They attack social ills, above all superstition and human folly. 'Volaverunt' takes up the motif of witches and the theme of flight from reason, which runs through the whole series. These works were made during a time of deep political and social change in Spain.
Impact
A sense of unease arises between weightlessness and threat. The floating figure seems both graceful and eerie; viewers are left unsettled and prompted to reflect.
Technique
Drypoint, aquatint and etching work together here. Aquatint provides fine tonal gradations and soft transitions, while drypoint adds strong, dark lines. The plate measures 21.4 × 15 cm, the sheet 29.5 × 21 cm.
AI-generated description text
Source: Metropolitan Museum of Art · Public Domain (CC0 1.0)