There Go the Plucked Ones 18th-19th century

Editor: Goya's print, "There Go the Plucked Ones," presents a darkly comic scene. The central figures, seemingly witches, evoke both fear and a strange sense of mockery. What symbols and narratives do you see woven into this image? Curator: The scene pulsates with symbolic inversions. Note the figure suspended by broomsticks, echoing Christian ascension imagery but with a sinister twist. The plucked chickens mirror the loss of innocence, perhaps alluding to societal corruption. Do you see how Goya uses darkness and light to create this sense of unease? Editor: It’s definitely unsettling! The way the figures are rendered, almost caricatures, amplifies that feeling. Curator: Indeed, the grotesque exaggerations highlight a deeper commentary on power, superstition, and the human condition. It’s a mirror reflecting our own anxieties, then and now. Editor: I didn't catch that! So much hidden in the symbols. Thanks. Curator: My pleasure. It's in deciphering these visual languages that we truly connect with art's enduring power.