Plate 71 from 'The Disasters of War' (Los Desastres de la Guerra): 'Against the common good' (Contra el bien general)
Original title: Plate 71 from "The Disasters of War" (Los Desastres de la Guerra): 'Against the common good' (Contra el bien general)
kurzbeschreibung
Unlike many sheets from Goya's etching series 'The Disasters of War' (Los Desastres de la Guerra), this work brings a single monster figure to the fore instead of a crowd. The etching was made in 1814–15 and first appeared in 1863. A dragon-like creature stands in front, with a battle scene behind. The print is executed as an etching with burnisher.
Description
In front, a figure resembling a dragon or winged monster, yet with human facial features, holds a book or folder. Behind it, other figures are entangled in combat. Shades of gray dominate the monochrome image, with diffuse light accenting the contours. The layout feels asymmetrical: the monster occupies the center, while the fighters stagger backward. The expressive, dramatic style is typical of Goya.
Context
Between 1814 and 1815, during the Restoration period after the Napoleonic War in Spain, Goya worked on this print. The series served him as a critical engagement with the horrors of war and political oppression. During his lifetime, the etchings remained unpublished; the Academy of San Fernando produced the first edition in 1863. The monster figure can be read as an allegorical reference to the abuses of those years.
Impact
A sense of oppression and threat emanates from this motif, intensified by the dark gray tonality and expressive linework. The central monster appears grotesque and disturbing, while the battles behind evoke the violence of war. The imagery remains immediate and insistent, without sentimental embellishment.
Technique
For this etching, Goya incised the drawing into the ground of a copper plate and then etched it. The burnisher was used to lighten or correct certain areas, creating fine tonal gradations. The print was pulled on paper; the plate measures 17.5 × 22 cm, the sheet 25.2 × 34.5 cm.
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Source: Metropolitan Museum of Art · Public Domain (CC0 1.0)