Está Umd. …pues, Como digo…eh! Cuidado! si no! 1796 - 1797

Francisco Goya etched "Está Umd. …pues, Como digo…eh! Cuidado! si no!" using aquatint, capturing a scene of social commentary. The figures, with their exaggerated features and gestures, stand as symbols of folly, evoking a historical lineage of the grotesque found in medieval carnival masks. Consider the central figure, whose stance and attire suggest a misguided sense of self-importance. This motif echoes in various guises throughout art history, from ancient Roman satires to Honoré Daumier’s caricatures of the French bourgeoisie. The cane he carries, usually a symbol of authority, here seems to mock his inflated ego. Such imagery taps into our collective memory, stirring a deep-seated recognition of human fallibility. The emotional power of Goya's work lies in its ability to confront us with our own potential for absurdity, reminding us that these archetypes recur, perpetually reborn in the theater of human life.