Menippus 1778

Curator: This is Francisco Goya’s “Menippus,” an etching and engraving on paper completed in 1778. It's currently held here at the Art Institute of Chicago. Editor: Immediately, it's this palpable feeling of...shrewd resignation. The man’s stance, that almost self-deprecating hunch, and the incredibly fine, yet somehow scratchy, lines amplifying that world-weariness. Does it grab you that way? Curator: It's fascinating how Goya employs the graphic language of printmaking—the density and direction of the hatched lines—to model form and convey mood. Note the contrast between the loosely defined background and the sharper focus on Menippus himself. This strategic manipulation draws our eye. Editor: Totally! And the details like his threadbare cloak. You feel a lived history embedded in the weave. The figure, Menippus, the Cynic philosopher…you kind of pity him. It feels less about celebrating some great thinker, more about saying that even a wise old guy still must face existential drudgery! Curator: The composition’s debt to Velázquez, whose work Goya greatly admired and was emulating, is evident, echoing Spanish Baroque portraiture while engaging with complex ideas regarding the construction of historical and social identities through art. His expression defies nobility in portraiture by emphasizing reality and fallibility, as evidenced in its texture. Editor: Yeah! He isn't lionizing some god, king or general—he's elevating this slightly grumpy-looking philosopher...or maybe, by placing him in the formal realm of portraiture, it is satirical—both an elevation and skewering all at once? Plus, the muted palette reinforces this. No splashy colours to distract us. Only layers of gray on gray on gray! Curator: Exactly, it transcends simple portraiture and offers a multi-layered meditation on philosophy, society, and art-making. And don't forget his technical mastery is clear! Editor: It's amazing, this deceptively simple image keeps expanding, opening and cracking open a richer conversation long after you think it would… I have found a favorite.