The horse abductor, from "The Disparates" (Follies / Irrationalities)
Original title: The horse abductor, from "The Disparates" (Follies / Irrationalities)
kurzbeschreibung
Francisco de Goya y Lucientes made 'El caballo raptor' (The Horse Abductor) around 1815–19, though the print was not published until 1864. This etching with aquatint and drypoint shows a rider on a horse caught mid-air in a twisting turn.
Description
A man sits on a horse that seems frozen in an acrobatic spin. His arms are flung up, legs stretched out, face tense and determined. The animal's head and legs suggest movement. Behind them, a blurred, dark landscape with a rock adds to the charged atmosphere.
Context
The series 'Disparates' (also known as 'Proverbios') was created during a period of profound social and political upheaval in Spain after the Napoleonic Wars. The plates remained unpublished in Goya's lifetime; only in 1864 did the Academy of San Fernando issue them. The collection ranks among the artist's most enigmatic and biting works, targeting superstition and social ills.
Impact
The bizarre, almost surreal idea is both unsettling and captivating. Realistic rendering and expressive arrangement give the print a timeless, nearly visionary quality.
Technique
For this print, Goya combined etching, burnished aquatint, and drypoint. The aquatint creates fine gradations of gray and a soft distribution of light; drypoint adds precise, expressive lines. This mix contributes to the monochrome, dramatic effect.
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Source: Metropolitan Museum of Art · Public Domain (CC0 1.0)