It is better to be lazy (Mejor es holgar)
Original title: Plate 73 from "Los Caprichos": It is better to be lazy (Mejor es holgar)
kurzbeschreibung
The 73rd print from Francisco de Goya's 1799 etching series 'Los Caprichos' brings together three figures in a bare interior, all occupied with cats. The series, comprising 80 plates, casts a satirical eye on social and human failings. Its Spanish title, 'Mejor es holgar,' alludes to idleness.
Description
A man in a white shirt and trousers sits on the ground, a cat cradled in his arms. To his right stands a woman in a light, long dress, her gaze fixed on the animal; on the left, another person sits on the floor, also with a cat. The dark, unadorned background pushes the figures forward. Light falling from above picks out their faces and the animals. The grey tones of the aquatint give the scene a sombre, intimate mood.
Context
Between 1797 and 1799, 'Los Caprichos' took shape as a critical response to superstition, social ills, and human folly in Spain of those years. Plate 73 belongs to the second half of the series, where moral questions come more to the fore. Published in 1799, the set was withdrawn from circulation soon after because of its critical allusions. The idleness shown here can be read as an ironic comment on the society of the time.
Impact
At first glance the arrangement feels calm, almost casual; yet the devotion with which the figures attend to the cats has something absurd about it. Dark shadows and the subdued colouring create a pensive, slightly melancholy atmosphere that invites the viewer to linger.
Technique
For this plate Goya used etching together with burnished aquatint and burin. This produced fine lines and soft tonal transitions. The aquatint supplies the grey areas and shading, while the burin sharpens details such as facial features and textures. Printing was done on paper; the plate measures 21.3 × 14.9 cm.
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Source: Metropolitan Museum of Art · Public Domain (CC0 1.0)