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Primary sourcePaintingc. 1810-1814 (published 1863)

Y no hai remedio

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

A plate from Goya's Disasters of War showing a blindfolded prisoner about to be executed, foreshadowing The Third of May.

Goya made this etching as part of his private visual record of the war's atrocities, closely linked to his painting of the Third of May.

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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.
Francisco de Goya, Y no hai remedio, plate 15 of The Disasters of War, c. 1810-1814 (published 1863). Metropolitan Museum of Art and other print rooms.

About this source

What it is

An etching by Francisco Goya, plate 15 of his series The Disasters of War, made around 1810-1814 and published in 1863. Copies are held in print rooms including the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Biblioteca Nacional de España.

Why it matters

This print shows a man about to be shot, his head bowed against a post, with bodies already on the ground nearby. It is closely connected to Goya's painting The Third of May 1808, sharing the same subject of civilians facing execution. It is often studied closely because of how directly it communicates the terror of war without heroics.

Look closer

  • What details tell you this man knows what is about to happen to him?
  • How does the composition direct your eye toward the victim rather than the executioners?
  • Why do you think Goya titled it 'And There's Nothing to Be Done'?

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 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.Painting

Primary source

Caprichos

Francisco Goya · 1799 (created 1797-1798)

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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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