Se repulen. 1796 - 1797

Francisco Goya created this etching, entitled "Se repulen," in Spain sometime in the late 1700s or early 1800s. The image depicts monstrous figures, one of whom is using a pair of scissors to clip the toenails of another. Goya worked as a court painter, but he also produced prints like these that reveal a critical view of Spanish society. At the time, Spain was a highly stratified society, dominated by the aristocracy and the Church. This etching belongs to a series called "Los Caprichos," which can be translated as "The Caprices" or "The Whims." They were intended as a satire on the irrationality and corruption of the social and political order. The phrase "Se repulen," which translates to "They spruce themselves up," suggests that even monsters care about appearances, or that appearances can be deceiving. Historians of art can draw on a wide range of archival materials, such as letters, diaries, and official documents, to reconstruct the social and institutional context in which art was made. The meaning of art is not fixed, but changes over time and in different social contexts.