Plate 68 from "Los Caprichos": Pretty teacher! (Linda maestra!)
Original title: Plate 68 from "Los Caprichos": Pretty teacher! (Linda maestra!)
kurzbeschreibung
Etching, burnished aquatint and drypoint shape plate 68 from Goya's 'Los Caprichos' of 1799. A floating figure with a broom appears — a satirical attack on superstition and social ills.
Description
A single figure floats across the image, broom held tight. Her face looks distorted and eerie, hair whipping in the wind. A dark sky arches behind, through which an owl flies upward. Greys and blacks set the mood; the rough texture of the printing processes remains palpable on the surface.
Context
In an era of profound upheaval in late 18th-century Spain, Goya created the series 'Los Caprichos'. In it he castigated superstition, ignorance and the abuses of the Inquisition. The broom figure alludes to the witch craze and the persecution of supposed witches. In 1799 Goya published the series but soon withdrew it — likely out of fear of the Inquisition.
Impact
An oppressive, almost threatening atmosphere arises from the floating figure and the dark tonality. The uncanny face and the rising owl heighten the macabre and prompt reflection on the satirical intent.
Technique
Etching, burnished aquatint and drypoint were used together. Aquatint produces fine tonal gradations, drypoint sets bold, rough lines. The paper measures 29.5 x 21.1 cm, the plate 20.9 x 14.8 cm.
AI-generated description text
Source: Metropolitan Museum of Art · Public Domain (CC0 1.0)