Plate 78 from "Los Caprichos": Be quick, they are waking up (Despacha, que dispiértan)
Original title: Plate 78 from "Los Caprichos": Be quick, they are waking up (Despacha, que dispiértan)
kurzbeschreibung
From Goya's print series Los Caprichos, published in 1799, comes the sheet "Rouse Yourself, They Are Waking" (Despacha, que dispiértan). Two elderly women appear in a bare setting: one sits at a table, the other stands beside her with a stick. This etching with aquatint belongs to a set of 80 satirical prints.
Description
In a dark, sparsely furnished room, two old women confront each other. The standing figure on the left, armed with a stick, fixes her gaze on the seated woman, who bends over a plate. Their plain, light-grey garments stand out sharply against the gloomy background. On the table, several plates and a cloth can be made out. At the bottom, the title appears in Latin letters; at the upper right, the number 78.
Context
Between 1797 and 1799, Goya created Los Caprichos as a critical examination of superstition, social ills, and human folly in Spain. The 78th plate belongs to the second half of the series, which focuses more on witchcraft and the follies of old age. The collection of 80 etchings was published in 1799 but was soon withdrawn from sale because of its sharpness.
Impact
At first glance, the scene seems everyday, yet the monochrome gloom and the tense posture of the figures create an oppressive atmosphere. The title draws attention to the absurdity of the moment and lends the image an ironic, even uncanny note. The viewer becomes a silent witness to a moment suspended between the ordinary and the nightmarish.
Technique
Etching with burnished aquatint produces fine tonal gradations and deep shadows. Lines of varying thickness and density build textures and spatial depth. The plate measures 21.4 × 15 cm; the sheet, 29.5 × 21 cm.
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Source: Metropolitan Museum of Art · Public Domain (CC0 1.0)