Plate 80 from "The Disasters of War" (Los Desastres de la Guerra): 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
On plate 80 of the 'Desastres de la Guerra', a figure struck by an explosion struggles to rise. Francisco de Goya y Lucientes made this etching in 1814–15; it was not published until 1863. 'Si resucitará?' (Will she rise again?) belongs to the series that confronts the horrors of the Spanish War of Independence.
Description
A figure pushes herself upward, arms flung high, her face marked by terror and despair. From a point in the background, radiating lines suggest a detonation. Other victims are hinted at, also caught by the blast. The image stays in grayscale, with sharp contours and rich internal detail. The arrangement of bodies and rays creates an urgent, dynamic tension.
Context
Between 1810 and 1820, Goya's 'Desastres de la Guerra' emerged as a response to the horrors of the Spanish War of Independence (1808–1814) and the ensuing restoration. Only in 1863, 35 years after Goya's death, did the Real Academia de Bellas Artes de San Fernando in Madrid publish the plates. Plate 80 belongs to the third part of the series, which deals with the aftermath of war and the famine in Madrid. No specific occasion for this plate is documented; it stands within the series as a comment on civilian suffering.
Impact
Dramatic lighting and the expressive posture of the main figure provoke immediate horror and helplessness. The radial design intensifies the impression of sudden, destructive violence and lets the viewer grasp the hopelessness of the situation. The reduced grayscale technique contributes to the somber mood and the moral weight of the subject.
Technique
The plate was executed as an etching with drypoint and burnisher on paper. Etching allows fine lines and hatching, used here for the detailed rendering of figures and backgrounds. The burnisher was employed to lighten or smooth areas, enhancing the light and shadow effects of the explosion.
AI-generated description text
Source: Metropolitan Museum of Art · Public Domain (CC0 1.0)