They are hot (Estan calientes)
Original title: Plate 13 from "Los Caprichos": They are hot (Estan calientes)
kurzbeschreibung
Plate 13 from "Los Caprichos" of 1799, the famous print series by Francisco Goya y Lucientes, gathers four people in a gloomy room. This etching with aquatint is a prime example of how Goya used pictorial means to comment on the state of society.
Description
Two figures sit facing each other at a table while a third stands behind the seated one. Their features are exaggerated, registering alarm or astonishment. The figure on the left holds a small plate; the one on the right seems to be raising food to the mouth. Color is pared down to shades of gray, and the darkness of the room stays flat and undifferentiated. Light falling from the front picks out faces and upper bodies.
Context
The 80 etchings of the "Caprichos" were made between 1797 and 1799, with Goya casting a critical eye over Spanish society of his day. The thirteenth plate belongs to the group that targets superstition and abuses within the church. In 1799 the series appeared as a "Colección de estampas" but was soon withdrawn, presumably because of its biting criticism.
Impact
The murky, nearly monochrome scheme stirs an irritable mood. Exaggerated physiognomies and a lopsided layout push the figures' emotional register to the fore.
Technique
Etching and burnished aquatint are both used, allowing fine gradations of tone. The process yields soft transitions and a velvety quality that carries the somber underlying mood.
AI-generated description text
Source: Metropolitan Museum of Art · Public Domain (CC0 1.0)