Plate 29 from "The Disasters of War" (Los Desastres de la Guerra): 'He deserved it' (Lo merecia)
Original title: Plate 29 from "The Disasters of War" (Los Desastres de la Guerra): 'He deserved it' (Lo merecia)
kurzbeschreibung
Francisco de Goya y Lucientes devoted plate 29 to his series 'The Disasters of War' (Los Desastres de la Guerra). A group of men bends over a victim lying on the ground. This etching, executed with drypoint, burin, and burnisher, dates from around 1810 and was only published in 1863, after the artist's death.
Description
A body on the ground, surrounded by several figures, dominates the image. Two attackers are active: one carries a weapon, the other points at the fallen man with a stick. The layout feels unbalanced, the varied postures of those involved creating tension. Sparse background areas, graded gray tones, and sharp outlines contribute to the somber effect. Fine drypoint lines and hatching run across the surface of the figures.
Context
Between 1810 and 1820, Goya created his series 'Los Desastres de la Guerra' in response to Napoleon's occupation of Spain and the ensuing war of independence. The etchings were not published until 1863, many years after Goya's death, by the Royal Academy of San Fernando. Plate 29 bears the inscription 'Lo merecia,' which can be read as a sarcastic or bitter comment on violence. The series is among the earliest examples of modern war reportage in art.
Impact
The dark tonality and the direct presentation of violence evoke an oppressive, stifling mood. The restless arrangement and harsh contours bring the brutality of the event immediately to the fore.
Technique
On a copper plate, Goya combined etching, drypoint, burin, and burnisher. The drypoint leaves fine, burred lines that are visible in the shading. With the burnisher, the artist varied tonal values and thus achieved the gloomy underlying mood.
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Source: Metropolitan Museum of Art · Public Domain (CC0 1.0)