Will she rise again? (Si resucitará?)
Original title: Plate 80 from "The Disasters of War" (Los Desastres de la Guerra): 'Will she rise again?' (Si resucitará?)
kurzbeschreibung
Francisco de Goya etched "Wird sie wieder auferstehen?" (Si resucitará?) in 1814–15 as part of his series The Disasters of War (Los Desastres de la Guerra), though it was not published until 1863. In this print, several figures gather around a person lying on the ground, while other figures in the background are caught in agitated movement.
Description
A figure lies stretched out on the ground in the foreground, apparently wounded or lifeless; a seated figure beside them turns toward the body. Behind, more figures look in different directions, creating a restless, unsettled image. The layout runs strongly diagonally, conveying urgency and haste. A bright shaft of light emerges from the center, breaking through the dark, restrained tones and producing a dramatic, almost mystical mood. The irregular placement of the figures underscores the disorder of the event.
Context
The series The Disasters of War was created during the Napoleonic Wars on the Iberian Peninsula (1808–1814) and the political turmoil that followed. The etchings remained unpublished in Goya's lifetime; the Royal Academy of San Fernando issued the first edition in 1863. This print is number 80, placing it in the final section of the series, which deals with the aftermath of war and the famine in Madrid. The title "Si resucitará?" asks, in the face of death and destruction, whether resurrection is possible.
Impact
The gloomy tonality and diagonal structure evoke an oppressive, unsettling atmosphere. The bright shaft in the center provides a counterpoint that might suggest hope or enlightenment, yet it is broken by the surrounding darkness. The asymmetrical distribution of the figures heightens the feeling of chaos and despair.
Technique
For this print, Goya used etching and then worked the plate with a burnisher to sharpen contours and refine textures. Shading was achieved through fine lines and strokes, kept in black and white, which emphasize the intensity of the subject. The plate measures 17.2 × 21.8 cm, the paper 25 × 34.3 cm.
AI-generated description text
Source: Metropolitan Museum of Art · Public Domain (CC0 1.0)