3 Sheets from ’’Los Proverbios’’
1815-1823
Goya's wild vision of human flight shows a shirtless man strapped to enormous bat-like wings, soaring through a pitch-black sky alongside other desperate aviators — one dangling from a parachute-like contraption, others flapping makeshift wings. This is from his 'Los Disparates' (The Follies) series, created during one of Spain's darkest periods following the Napoleonic Wars. Goya never published these prints in his lifetime; they were a private, almost feverish exploration of human absurdity. The flying men aren't triumphant — they look frantic, clinging to impossible dreams of escape. Art historians still debate whether these 'proverbs' were meant as political satire, psychological nightmares, or both. What's certain is that Goya was decades ahead of his time, channeling the kind of surreal imagery that wouldn't become mainstream until the 20th century.
- Technique
- Etching with aquatint