Plate 79 from "The Disasters of War" (Los Desastres de la Guerra): 'Truth has died' (Murió la verdad)
Original title: Plate 79 from "The Disasters of War" (Los Desastres de la Guerra): 'Truth has died' (Murió la verdad)
kurzbeschreibung
A lifeless body stretched on the ground, mourners gathered around it: plate 79 from Goya's "Disasters of War" stages the death of truth itself. The etching, finished with a burnisher, was made in 1814–15 but only appeared in 1863, after the artist's death. Its allegorical gloom turns on loss and on things pushed out of sight.
Description
The layout is deliberately lopsided. Across the foreground lies a corpse, and several figures in traditional dress stand over it. Their eyes drift in different directions, and some faces look troubled. Behind them more people emerge, also glancing about on all sides. Muted, darkened tones and a soft, undirected light give the print its heavy, sorrowful keynote.
Context
The sheets of "Los Desastres de la Guerra" were made between 1810 and 1820, set off by the horrors of the Spanish War of Independence (1808–1814) and the restoration that followed. They were not published until 1863, 35 years after Goya's death, by the Real Academia de Bellas Artes de San Fernando in Madrid. Plate 79 belongs to the later, allegorical works in the series, which pull away from immediate events of war and speak more generally of truth and oppression.
Impact
Darkness weighs on the sheet from the first glance, and the diffuse light lets contours blur. The uneven arrangement and the scattered gazes of the figures produce a sense of loss and helplessness. The scene feels immediate and insistent without reaching for pathos.
Technique
Etching with a burnisher allows the finest lines and gentle gradations between light and dark. Light and shadow can thus be led precisely, which carries the sombre mood of the sheet. The paper measures 9 7/8 × 13 1/2 inches, the plate 6 13/16 × 8 9/16 inches.
AI-generated description text
Source: Metropolitan Museum of Art · Public Domain (CC0 1.0)