They do not arrive in time (No llegan á tiempo)
Original title: Plate 52 from "The Disasters of War" (Los Desastres de la Guerra): 'They do not arrive in time' (No llegan á tiempo)
kurzbeschreibung
This print, titled "They Do Not Arrive in Time" (No llegan á tiempo), belongs to Francisco de Goya's series "The Disasters of War" (Los Desastres de la Guerra) and was made in 1811–12. It shows a group of praying women in a gloomy corner of a building. The etching, combined with lavis, drypoint, and burin, is part of a series of 80 plates that address the horrors of the Spanish War of Independence.
Description
In a corner of a structure, several women in dark garments crouch and pray. One holds a child in her arms; another lies on the ground, evidently injured or ill. Grief and despair speak from their postures and faces. A section of wall frames the group and emphasizes their situation. Gray tones and murky lighting underscore the gravity of the event.
Context
Goya created "Los Desastres de la Guerra" between 1810 and 1820 as a response to the horrors of the Spanish War of Independence (1808–1814) and the subsequent restoration. During his lifetime, the prints remained unpublished; the first edition appeared only in 1863 in Madrid. The series is among the earliest war depictions to focus on the suffering of the civilian population.
Impact
The huddled, praying women and the narrow, wall-bounded composition create a sense of oppression. Finest lines and soft lavis shading combine into a dark, almost hopeless mood that directly moves the viewer.
Technique
For this plate, Goya used a mixture of etching, lavis (ink wash), drypoint, and burin on a copper plate. The lavis allowed soft tonal transitions, while drypoint contributed fine, expressive lines. The plate was then printed with black ink on paper.
AI-generated description text
Source: Metropolitan Museum of Art · Public Domain (CC0 1.0)