Los Caprichos 1797 - 1798

Editor: This is Francisco Goya's "Los Caprichos", currently at the Harvard Art Museums. It’s a striking, aged book. What symbols or deeper meanings can you glean from its cover? Curator: The worn leather suggests a history, a silent witness to the passage of time and changing perspectives. This object, in its very form, embodies cultural memory. What stories do you think it holds? Editor: I imagine it holds secrets of Goya’s time. Curator: Precisely. Think of the cultural weight that books carry. “Los Caprichos,” though presented humbly, offers potent social critique through imagery. It is a reminder that outward appearances often mask deeper, more complex truths. Editor: I hadn’t considered the book itself as a symbol. That's insightful. Curator: Indeed, visual symbols speak volumes if we allow them to. It is a fascinating object.