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Self-Portraits and Portraits | The Bordeaux Albums| Miniatures on Ivory | The Bordeaux Lithographs

For more information, see the related essay about The Bordeaux Albums.

Semana Santa en tiempo pasado en España (Holy Week in a Time Past in Spain) Album G. 57 1824–28 Black crayon on paper National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa, Purchased 1923 [cat. no. 28]

In this flashback to the Spain of the past, Goya exploits tonal effects in evoking an eerie scene from Holy Week. Two flagellants wearing tall, conical hats known as corozas are set against a dark mass of moving figures. As they process through the streets, they whip their own bare backs and shoulders until they bleed—a barbarous act of penitence that reformers tried without success to ban.

Diligencias nuebas [written over] sillas de moda (New Stagecoaches [written over] Fashionable Chairs); o sillas de espaldas (or Shoulder Chairs); [on the chair] A la Comedia (To the Theater); No. 89 Album G. 24 1824–28 Black crayon on paper Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, Arthur Tracey Cabot Fund, 53.2376 [cat. no. 30]

On his walks through Bordeaux, Goya’s eyes lit on individuals engaged in odd activities, such as riding in a shoulder chair—a form of transport probably associated with a fair or festival. Goya emphasizes the social divide between the figures, with the stooped bearer twisting his head around to receive his passenger’s directive—“a la Comedia” (to the theater)—which is written on the box. A pentimento of an earlier drawing of a woman drinking from a bowl is seen to the right.

Mendigos q.e se lleban solos en Bordeaux (Beggars Who Get About on Their Own in Bordeaux) Album G. 29 1824–28 Black crayon on paper National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C., Woodner Collection, 1993 [cat. no. 31]

The truncated body of a beggar is enclosed within his ingenious chariot, his head forming the apex of a perfectly composed pyramid. With a delicate line and evident tenderness, Goya sketches in the man’s half-shaded, worn face. Like his fellow outcasts, this marginal street figure is transformed into a symbol of adaptability and resilience.

Locos patines (Crazy Skates) Album G. 32 1824–28 Black crayon on paper Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, Arthur Tracey Cabot Fund, 53.2377 [cat. no. 32]

Goya’s spontaneous, vigorous handling of the crayon underlies the dynamism of this humorous figure caught mid-motion in a freeze frame. The roller skater’s shriek is almost audible. In the background another figure speeds by on a celeripède, an early form of bicycle, suggesting that the setting is an amusement park.

Feria en Bordeaux (Fair in Bordeaux) (The Female Giant) Album H. 39 c. 1826 Black crayon on paper The Pierpont Morgan Library, New York, Gift of Gertrude Weyhe Dennis in honor of Felice Stampfle on the occasion of the 75th anniversary of the Morgan Library and the 50th anniversary of the Association of Fellows, 1999 [cat. no. 33]

Goya and his companion, Leocadia Weiss, were regular visitors to Bordeaux’s fairs, and acrobats, animal handlers, and human anomalies are the subjects of many of his drawings. Here a dark flattened mass of prurient spectators sets off the substantiality and noble individuality of the giantess.

Ni por esas; Que tirania [faintly written] (Not Even with Those; What Tyranny) Album G. 8 1824–28 Black crayon on paper Museo Nacional del Prado, Madrid [cat. no. 34]

Acerbic, ironic social commentary is an essential part of Goya’s art. This comic rendition of the battle of the sexes appears to be enacted on a stage. The man, dressed in the costume of an alguacil or constable, with his proverbial keys, either locks or unlocks the bizarre prophylactic outfit
of his companion. The inscription, like the drawing, is open to multiple readings.

Mal marido (Bad Husband) Album G. 13 1824–28 Black crayon on paper Museo Nacional del Prado, Madrid [cat. no. 35]

The oppression of women and forced marriages were targets for Liberal reform and popular subjects of satire in the art and literature of Goya’s time. In this bizarre joining of figures, an abusive husband rides his wife like a beast of burden, bent under his weight.

Enredos de sus vidas (Entanglements of Their Lives) Album G. 46 1824–28 Black crayon on paper National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa, Purchased 1923 [cat. no. 36]

Amorous relationships between women are depicted in earlier drawings and seem to have held some fascination for Goya. Sometimes, as here, we are left in doubt about Goya’s observations on same-sex relationships. The pair float in a wreathlike jumble of figures, some of which can be read as heads of people and animals, while others remain unformed.

Woman with Two Children Album H. 43 1824–28 Black crayon on paper The Hispanic Society of America, New York [cat. no. 37]

This image represents the new Enlightenment conception of motherhood. During the eighteenth century, as the nuclear family was coming into being, the role of the mother was expanding from progenitor to protector. This moving image, drawn with impressive economy, shows Goya’s sympathy for the social ideas of the Enlightenment.

Old Woman with Mirror Album H. 33 1824–28 Black crayon on paper Museo Nacional del Prado, Madrid [cat. no. 38]

This drawing is a reprise of one of the most barbed of Goya’s series of prints, Los Caprichos. But when Goya returns to the timeless vanitas theme here, it is with the empathy of one who is now old himself. The woman’s huddled posture, concentrated expression, and thick fingers grasping a tiny magnifying glass eloquently express the ravages of time.

Man Killing Monk Album H. 34 1824–28 Black crayon on paper Museo Nacional del Prado, Madrid [cat. no. 39]

Monks and friars were frequent targets of Goya’s ire and appear in various situations throughout his art. In the last of a long series, a monk here meets a violent end. The drama is intensified through the use of contrasting graphic techniques — dark spontaneous marks to emphasize the ferocity of the aggressor’s act and an undulating outline to suggest the victim’s collapsed body under a puddle of soft fabric.

Comer mucho (To Eat a Lot) Album G. b 1824–28 Black crayon on paper Museo Nacional del Prado, Madrid [cat. no. 40]

The mocking figure in the background may suggest that this image of a defecating man is a condemnation of gluttony — a vice caricatured in several other drawings by Goya. This taboo subject also gives Goya the opportunity to reconfigure the human body imaginatively with the rounded forms of head and bare buttocks on the same level.

Loco furioso (Raging Lunatic) Album G. 33 1824–28 Black crayon on paper Andrea Woodner Collection, New York [cat. no. 41]

The theme of madness runs through much of Goya’s mature work and reappears in thirteen drawings of locos in Album G. The locos fit in with Goya’s concern with society’s misfits — the poor, cripples, fairground freaks — for whom he expresses deep sympathy. Entrapment and despair are succinctly expressed in this compressed image of a naked figure caught in the window slats of his cell. Whether the subjects of his loco drawings were inspired by figures seen in Bordeaux’s asylum or drawn purely from imagination is not known.

Loco furioso (Raging Lunatic) Album G. 40 1824–28 Black crayon on paper Private collection [cat. no. 42]

Here Goya takes us into the inner world of a confined madman, arms pinned behind him. The dramatic contrast of light and dark and the rough marks of the crayon determine the emotional tenor of this work. Telling details, such as the figure’s thatched hair, rolling eyes, and large, expressive feet, are carefully delineated. Pentimenti of an earlier position of the arms raised above the head may be seen.

Gimiendo y llorando (Weeping and Wailing) Album G. 50 1824–28 Black crayon on paper Private collection [cat. no. 43]

Goya continues to explore extreme emotional states in this pleading figure who recalls the kneeling patriot before the firing squad in his famous painting the Third of May 1808 (1814). The blocks of stone behind him suggest a cell-like setting, though Goya gives no clue as to whether this expressive figure is a prisoner, a loco, or a more generalized symbol of hope and despair.

El perro volante (The Flying Dog) Album G. 5 1824–28 Black crayon on paper Museo Nacional del Prado, Madrid [cat. no. 44]

This surreal hybrid creature — part canine, part avian, part amphibian — caught in a headlong dive, is one of the most imaginative and mysterious beings from Goya’s extraordinary bestiary.

Man on a Swing Album H. 58 1824–28 Black crayon on paper The Hispanic Society of America, New York [cat. no. 45]

This drawing epitomizes the concise, ironic, yet joyous spirit that runs through much of Goya’s late graphic work. The old wizard-like figure swings through the air on a rope, unimpeded, a hoary symbol of freedom and endurance. The present drawing and a few others from the Bordeaux albums have related etchings, although Goya’s authorship is uncertain.

Young Witch (Woman?) Flying with a Rope Album H. 19 1824–28 Black crayon on paper National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa, Purchased 1923 [cat. no. 46]

Whether she is a witch, a circus performer, or a figment of the artist’s imagination, this airborne young woman is one of the most voluptuous and appealing figures in the Bordeaux albums. Fluid strokes of the crayon and flashing highlights on her billowing dress, created by the white of the paper, suggest movement and reveal the girl’s soft form.

Wolf and Man Album H. 5 1824–28 Black crayon on paper Museo Nacional del Prado, Madrid [cat. no. 47]

Wolves sometimes serve as a symbol of reactionary government in Goya’s art, but there are no such obvious connections in this enigmatic composition. The meaning of this encounter between a naked man partially covered with a mantle — possibly made of animal skins — and a robed wolf standing on his hind legs is known only to Goya.

Struggling Man and Woman with Devil Album H. 57 1824–28 Black crayon on paper Museo Nacional del Prado, Madrid [cat. no. 48]

As in a number of Goya’s Bordeaux drawings, the parts that make up an image are easily identifiable, yet the meaning remains undecipherable. In this impacted composition, a woman has a shirtless man in a stranglehold while a devil looms behind them.

Se quieren mucho (They Love Each Other Very Much) Album G. 59 1824–28 Black crayon on paper Museo Nacional del Prado, Madrid [cat. no. 49]

In the late eighteenth century, Goya and his enlightened friends turned to the theme of witchcraft to satirize superstition and popular beliefs. This desiccated old pair of levitating demons has become humanized — and humorous. The angular forms of their bony limbs and wings are organized in a complex, upward-rising configuration.

Traveling Witch Album H. 27 1824–28 Black crayon on paper Museo Nacional del Prado, Madrid [cat. no. 50]

Goya exploits the power of expressive line in this drawing of an old crone and her bearers. The exchange of gazes among the figures directs the eye to their grimacing faces.

Young Woman Swooning, Surrounded by Witches Album H. 25 1824–28 Black crayon on paper Private collection [cat. no. 51]

Rubbing his crayon lightly across textured paper, Goya evokes supernatural creatures through an interplay of light and dark forms, which he then reinforces with sharp lines. The surrounding figures take shape before our eyes like visions emerging from the swooning woman’s unconscious mind.