About this artwork
Editor: This is "What One Does to Another" by Francisco José de Goya y Lucientes. It's incredibly grim! You have these skeletal figures carrying what looks like a body, and another figure beneath struggling. How do you interpret this work? Curator: It's about the material consequences of power. Note the figures carrying the burden and the resources consumed in their labor. Goya implicates structures of authority, how they are built upon exploitation. Editor: So, it's not just about death, but who profits and who suffers? Curator: Precisely. Goya used etching to bring to light the realities of the powerless in society. Editor: I never thought about it that way. Thanks! Curator: You're welcome. It's always rewarding to see the material conditions represented in art.
What One Does to Another
18th-19th century
Francisco José de Goya y Lucientes
@franciscojosadegoyaylucientesHarvard Art Museums
Harvard Art MuseumsArtwork details
- Location
- Harvard Art Museums
- Copyright
- CC0 1.0
Comments
Share your thoughts
About this artwork
Editor: This is "What One Does to Another" by Francisco José de Goya y Lucientes. It's incredibly grim! You have these skeletal figures carrying what looks like a body, and another figure beneath struggling. How do you interpret this work? Curator: It's about the material consequences of power. Note the figures carrying the burden and the resources consumed in their labor. Goya implicates structures of authority, how they are built upon exploitation. Editor: So, it's not just about death, but who profits and who suffers? Curator: Precisely. Goya used etching to bring to light the realities of the powerless in society. Editor: I never thought about it that way. Thanks! Curator: You're welcome. It's always rewarding to see the material conditions represented in art.
Comments
Share your thoughts