- Sep 16, 2003
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Personally, I think that this is the series of prints that fully demonstrates the genius of Goya. I know that in most discussions of him his Black Paintings or portraits tend to get focused on, but the thing is the portraits don't make me feel anything, and the Black Paintings only cause me mild wonder or distaste. The disasters of war, on the other hand, will leave me feeling literally sick to my stomach only after paging through a few. The one time that I went through the entire series in one sitting, I was affected for the remainder of the day.
What is the power behind these drawing? More obscene things are out there, yet they do not cause such a reaction in me. It's certainly not the realism, worse atrocities can be seen often by flipping on the news.
I think that it is the sense of hopelessness pervading all the pictures. The peasants fight the French soldiers with desparation and knowing that victory is unatainable. The bodies upon bodies, seemingly without end. Goya's bitter titles (such as "For this you were born" under a picture of a slaughter or "and there isn't a remedy" under a picture of a man tied to a stake). And most of all the picture of the corpse writing the word nada (nothing), suggesting that this is what people will say the war is for. Hopelessness, pointlessless, death. That is the essence of war, and I think Goya demonstrates it masterfully.
This is what art is all about.
What is the power behind these drawing? More obscene things are out there, yet they do not cause such a reaction in me. It's certainly not the realism, worse atrocities can be seen often by flipping on the news.
I think that it is the sense of hopelessness pervading all the pictures. The peasants fight the French soldiers with desparation and knowing that victory is unatainable. The bodies upon bodies, seemingly without end. Goya's bitter titles (such as "For this you were born" under a picture of a slaughter or "and there isn't a remedy" under a picture of a man tied to a stake). And most of all the picture of the corpse writing the word nada (nothing), suggesting that this is what people will say the war is for. Hopelessness, pointlessless, death. That is the essence of war, and I think Goya demonstrates it masterfully.
This is what art is all about.
