It Always Happens, plate eight from The Disasters of War Possibly 1814 - 1863

Francisco Goya created this etching, plate eight from *The Disasters of War*, during the tumultuous period of the Napoleonic Wars in Spain. It presents a scene of brutal violence, its title *It Always Happens* suggesting the banality of such cruelty. Goya's work offers a stark commentary on the social conditions of war. He employs visual codes of darkness and light, creating a disturbing image of bodies trampled by horses. Spain at the time was a society deeply divided, with its own internal conflicts exacerbated by foreign invasion. The institutions of the Spanish monarchy and the Church were under threat, and Goya's art reflects this crisis. It serves not as a celebration of military triumph, but as a critique of war. As historians, it is crucial to explore these contexts using historical records. We must consider the cultural, political, and economic forces at play. Art, in this sense, becomes a document, reflecting the complex and often contradictory realities of its time.