Plate 21 from "Los Caprichos": How they pluck her! (¡Qual la descañonan!)
Original title: Plate 21 from "Los Caprichos": How they pluck her! (¡Qual la descañonan!)
kurzbeschreibung
In 1799, Francisco de Goya y Lucientes created plate 21 of his Caprichos. The print gathers four figures around a man stretched out on the ground. Executed as an etching with aquatint, the scene distorts what might be a medical procedure. Its Spanish title, '¡Qual la descañonan!', alludes to plucking a bird and marks the action as a violent intervention.
Description
A man lying on his back forms the focal point, while four figures in traditional dress stand around him. Two of them work on him, a third holds something to his mouth, and the fourth stands behind him, watching. Grey tones dominate the monochrome image, as is typical of aquatint etching. Diffuse light falls on the central figure and heightens the drama. Along the bottom edge runs the line '¡Qual la descañonan!'.
Context
Between 1797 and 1799, Goya produced the Caprichos, a series of 80 etchings attacking social ills and superstition. Plate 21 belongs to a group dealing with the oppression of women and the role of the church. The series was published as a collection in 1799 but was withdrawn from sale shortly afterwards because of its biting satire. Goya used printmaking to spread his criticism of Spanish society during the Enlightenment.
Impact
Gloomy monochrome and targeted lighting make the scene feel immediately threatening. The uneven arrangement of the figures and the central position of the lying man create an oppressive tension. The satirical title undermines the supposed act of help and gives the print a bitterly ironic tone.
Technique
Etching with burnished aquatint allows fine tonal gradations and a soft, painterly effect. The plate measures 21.4 x 14.6 cm, the sheet 29.5 x 21 cm. Goya combined etching with aquatint to achieve dramatic contrasts of light and dark.
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Source: Metropolitan Museum of Art · Public Domain (CC0 1.0)