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Primary sourcePainting1799 (created 1797-1798)

Caprichos

Francisco Goya · 1799 (created 1797-1798)

A set of 80 satirical etchings by Goya attacking superstition, clerical abuse and ignorance in Spanish society.

Goya created and published this entire satirical series, risking his safety to criticise his own society.

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Etching from Goya's Caprichos, plate 43. A sleeping man rests his head on a desk with his arms folded while owls, bats, and a cat gather around him in a dark sky. Caption reads 'El sueño de la razón produce monstruos.' Number 43 in the top right corner.
Francisco Goya, Caprichos, plate 43, 1799. Los Angeles County Museum of Art.

About this source

What it is

A series of 80 aquatint and etching prints created by Francisco Goya between 1797 and 1798 and published as an album in 1799. It combines fantasy, caricature and satire to criticise Spanish society.

Why it matters

Influenced by Enlightenment friends, Goya used the prints to mock superstition, the Inquisition, clerical abuse, ignorance among the ruling class and the failings of marriage and education. He disguised some targets to avoid trouble, withdrawing the set from sale shortly after publication for fear of the Inquisition. The series later influenced generations of artists and is seen as an early step toward modern art.

Look closer

  • Why might Goya have made his captions vague rather than naming people directly?
  • What does it tell us about Spanish society that Goya felt the need to criticise it in secret code?
  • Why do you think he withdrew the prints from sale so soon after publishing them?

This painting is part of the curated material that grounds the AI version of Francisco Goya on Humy.ai — when students ask about related events, the AI can quote it and cite it.

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Painting of a nighttime execution. On the left, a man in a white shirt and yellow trousers throws his arms up while other prisoners cover their faces or kneel. Bodies lie bloodied on the ground in the foreground. On the right, a row of soldiers in dark shakos aims muskets at the prisoners, beside a lantern-lit box. A town with a church tower sits under a dark sky.Painting

Secondary source

The Third of May 1808

Francisco Goya · 1814

Black and white etching of Goya's Disasters of War series, plate 2, titled 'Con razón ó sin ella'. A bearded man in dark clothing, arm outstretched, is pushed back by a soldier thrusting a rifle with bayonet; another soldier in a tall hat stands behind. Bodies lie on the ground at left, and a crowd of figures is crouched in the background.Painting

Primary source

The Disasters of War

Francisco Goya · 1810-1820

Etching showing a standing man in pale clothing with head bowed, leaning against a wooden post, while a seated figure and a lying body in the foreground appear in dark shadow. Plate labeled 'Y no hai remedio' beneath the image.Painting

Primary source

Y no hai remedio

Francisco de Goya · c. 1810-1814 (published 1863)

Etching of a man asleep with his head on his arms at a desk, surrounded by owls, bats, and a cat. Inscription in the lower left reads 'El sueño de la razón produce monstruos'. Dark, hatched lines on a light ground.Painting

Primary source

The Sleep of Reason Produces Monsters

Francisco Goya · 1797-1799

Group portrait of the Spanish royal family in a palace room. Richly dressed figures stand in a dim interior before a large dark painting, with a landscape window at right. King Charles IV in a brown embroidered coat and sash stands at center right, a queen in a white and gold gown at center, and children and adults surround them.Painting

Primary source

Charles IV of Spain and His Family

Francisco Goya · 1800-1801

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