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January 20-April 21 |
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Blasts
of Wind (Soplones),
plate 48 of Los Caprichos, 1799
The Sleep of Reason Produces Monsters, plate 43 of Los Caprichos, 1799
Second Royal Pleasure-Fountain (Zweyter Konigl. Lust-Bronnen)
Venus Rising from the Sea, 1772
Nyctimene is transformed into an Owl, 1767
FRANCISCO
DE GOYA Y LUCIENTES,
Spanish, 1746-1828
Blasts of Wind (Soplones) plate 48 of Los Caprichos
etching with aquatint, 1799
Ackland Fund, 72.37.4
Translated as either “blasts of wind” or “blowing wind” this aquatint is interpreted by a manuscript commentary in the Biblioteca Nacional, Madrid as an attack on confession: “Spoken confession serves only to fill the ears of the priests with filth, obscenity and dirt.” Other explanations have related the image to witchcraft, deviant sexuality, or gossip.
Although the text and image association is unclear, Goya uses the grotesque as a sign of ignorance and evil. The central figure in the composition, often interpreted as a monk, displays a distinctly sloped forehead, heavily lidded eyes, an elongated nose, and lipless mouth. Through exaggerated physiognomy, Goya informs the viewer that this figure is unenlightened, even corrupt.
In this scene crude animal amalgamations puzzle the viewer with their ambiguous meaning and odd physical stature. The inability to fix this image as either serious commentary or parody is fueled in part by the presence of grotesques, monsters, and other highly imaginative non-things.