The Disasters of War (Los Desastres de la Guerra), Plate 75: Charlatan's Show (Farándula de charlatanes)
Original title: Plate 75 from "The Disasters of War" (Los Desastres de la Guerra): 'Charlatan's show' (Farándula de charlatanes)
kurzbeschreibung
Plate 75 from 'The Disasters of War' crowds an unruly group of people together as if gathered for a dance. The etching with aquatint and drypoint was made in 1814–15, though it was not printed until 1863. It addresses the consequences of war and the increasing brutalization of society.
Description
A jostle of figures in dissolved movement: some appear to dance, others pause. Clothing and accessories are worked out in detail, some wear hats, some stand barefoot. The gazes of those involved drift in all directions and reinforce the impression of unrest. Behind the crowd, vague rock or mountain forms emerge. The gray tones result from the interplay of etching, aquatint, and drypoint; light falls evenly and brings out contours and surfaces.
Context
Between 1810 and 1820, Goya responded to the Napoleonic Wars and the subsequent political repression in Spain with 'Los Desastres de la Guerra'. Plate 75 belongs to the later plates of the series, where the focus is less on concrete war events than on allegories and social critique. The series was published only in 1863, 35 years after Goya's death, by the Royal Academy of San Fernando in Madrid. The title 'Farándula de charlatanes' points to quackery and deceit.
Impact
The loosely arranged figures and scattered directions of gaze create an unsettling tension. At the same time, the even illumination gives the sheet a factual distance that prompts the viewer to reflect on the social decay shown.
Technique
Etching, aquatint, drypoint, and burin are combined so that fine lines and soft tonal values stand side by side. The aquatint supplies the gray areas, while drypoint sets strong dark accents. The sheet is printed on paper measuring 25.2 × 34.4 cm, the plate measures 17.2 × 22 cm.
AI-generated description text
Source: Metropolitan Museum of Art · Public Domain (CC0 1.0)