Men hunting birds using a decoy c. 1812 - 1820

Curator: Goya's pen and ink drawing, "Men hunting birds using a decoy," created between 1812 and 1820, captures a raw, immediate scene. The sepia tones lend it a timeless quality. What strikes you first about it? Editor: The men themselves—there's an undeniable tension radiating from them. They seem to embody a brutal indifference to nature, or at least, the flock of birds overhead, mere specks in the expansive sky. I can't shake the feeling that there is more at stake here than the birds they want to bring down. Curator: That feeling certainly resonates within the context of Goya's other works. Hunting imagery often stands in for larger societal oppressions or the vulnerabilities of human existence. In this piece, the decoy is such an explicit representation of artifice and deceit. It begs the question of the psychological impact of setting up these scenarios, this manufactured 'nature.' Editor: Absolutely, and the almost predatory postures they strike, juxtaposed with the seemingly carefree birds—it underscores the imbalanced power dynamic. I wonder if Goya is offering a commentary on colonial violence, the disruption and destruction of entire ecosystems enabled by technology and strategic deception. Is he equating these hunters to the powerful of his time, exploiting the vulnerable for their own ends? Curator: That is a compelling perspective. In Romanticism, nature often represented the sublime and untamed. But here, through the act of hunting, Goya is subverting that notion. Consider, too, that decoy birds served as not only a physical lure, but also, potentially, a symbolic lure. What did these hunting practices suggest culturally and politically about dominance, and exploitation, and man’s need to control nature and fellow man? Editor: And is Goya subtly criticizing that need? By laying bare the apparatus, stripping it down to the bare essentials of the pen strokes, we’re invited to analyze the structures and mechanics of oppression itself, even today. This makes a commentary about humanity itself, rather than merely a recording of a scene of life from his era. Curator: I'm glad you've mentioned humanity—because Goya asks difficult questions that resist easy or simplistic interpretations. It's clear his drawings hold more than meets the eye at first glance. Editor: Agreed, engaging with this art demands that we look beyond the surface. It asks us to interrogate the symbolic order, to confront uncomfortable truths.