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Goya - Disasters Of War


I have been asked to explore Francisco Goya's Disasters of War series of prints. There are over 80 prints produced that were in relation to what he witnessed during the peninsular war against Napoleon Bonaparte.

While looking through these prints i could not believe how BRUTAL these were, i genuinely felt quite disturbed looking at these, because i feel they depict the impact war has on common individuals, like soldiers, civilians, men of god and more... i can have very strong amounts of empathy for others and looking at these, it really got to me.... They feel like illustrations of political commentary and are very hard to look at.

The first image i came across that really got to me was : 
Plate 9: No quieren (They do not want to) - 1810 - Etching
It looks to me like a young woman being assaulted by a soldier... and an older woman coming to her aid with a knife. The woman is clawing at the soldiers face and is hiding her own face as the man is pulling at her dress with a malicious expression spread on his face... this really upsets me, firstly because i am a woman, and to image experiencing such a thing, feeling so helpless is horrible, and secondly because it is a horrible thing feeling so helpless.It makes me think who is the older woman? is she just a passing sympathetic woman? or is she related to this girl? maybe her mother?  i am not sure what is in the back ground, perhaps a mill wheel?. 
I actually had to take a break from researching these as i found them so dark. That is not to say i don't like them - i love them. for what they are. horrible memories? political statements? I decided to look into the etching process for a while...

 I don't know much about etching, or the process but these etchings got me very intrigued...
I read up on it, and found a few instructional video's about the old method where the artist covers the metal plate with asphalt, resin and wax coat then heats it, and etches into in with a needles then submerges it in acid, feathers off the bubbles and then inks it, wipes it and rolls it. I also found a new method where you use shellac then copper sulphate and cooking salt, instead of nitric acid, still feathering off the bubbles.... INTERESTING! 

 I then came across this other image from the Disasters of War series
Plate 33. Qué Hay Que Hacer Mas? (What More Can Be Done?)
This image shows soldiers about to mutilating a naked man, this is a deliberate act of cruelty and shows what man is capable of inflicting onto others, really shocking and i am assuming at the time, very controversial. I found out that these were actually released after Goya's death, and perhaps the controversy of it is the reason for that. 

 The work itself is very well done, the dark lines and tonal use is very effective as giving a sinister appearance and the detail being on the man and soldiers, but little in the back ground, bring attention to what is happening.It makes me feel like Goya is directly addressing me, the viewer, making me see it and asking if i could image anything more horrid and cruel to be done to a man than what i am seeing now.  


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