Plate 34 from "The Disasters of War" (Los Desastres de La Guerra): 'On account of a knife' (Por una navaja)
Original title: Plate 34 from "The Disasters of War" (Los Desastres de La Guerra): 'On account of a knife' (Por una navaja)
kurzbeschreibung
Goya's etching 'Wegen eines Messers' (Por una navaja) belongs to his series 'The Disasters of War' (Los Desastres de la Guerra). It was made in 1810 but not published until 1863. A seated person with a document and a knife is surrounded by a group. The print was executed as an etching with drypoint, burin, and burnisher on paper.
Description
A seated figure wearing a tall cylindrical hat holds a document in one hand and a knife in the other. Behind, several people have gathered into a group, watching the event. The layout draws the eye to the seated figure, who forms the focal point. Black and white dominate the image, with even lighting and no harsh shadows. The style is realistic, with sharp contours and detailed linework.
Context
Between 1810 and 1820, Goya responded to the Napoleonic Wars in Spain and the subsequent restoration with the series 'Los Desastres de la Guerra'. During the artist's lifetime, the plates remained unpublished; the first edition was issued in 1863 by the Real Academia de Bellas Artes de San Fernando. 'Wegen eines Messers' belongs to a group of motifs dealing with hunger and violence against civilians.
Impact
An oppressive, tense mood emanates from this print, heightened by the gloomy composition and the central figure with the knife. The even illumination and precise lines give the work an eerie clarity that brings out the brutality of the subject.
Technique
Etching, drypoint, burin, and burnisher were used for this print, allowing fine and exact lines. The process permits a detailed rendering of textures and shading, characteristic of Goya's graphic work. The plate measures 15.5 × 20.5 cm, the sheet 25.2 × 34.4 cm.
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Source: Metropolitan Museum of Art · Public Domain (CC0 1.0)