What One Does to Another 18th-19th century

Curator: What strikes me immediately is the raw, almost grotesque energy emanating from this print. Editor: Indeed. We’re looking at “What One Does to Another” by Francisco José de Goya y Lucientes, currently residing at the Harvard Art Museums. It presents a stark vision, doesn’t it? Curator: Absolutely. The skeletal figures carrying what appears to be a sack – possibly filled with bodies? – evoke a powerful sense of mortality and moral decay. Is this a comment on the societal burdens of conflict? Editor: Precisely. Goya often used these kinds of stark images to reflect the brutal realities of war and social injustice, particularly within the context of early 19th-century Spain. The figures, reduced to mere skeletons, underscore the dehumanizing effects of violence. Curator: And the title itself, "What One Does to Another," is a chillingly direct statement on human cruelty. It seems that these images are also about the cyclical nature of violence. It is a haunting depiction that continues to resonate. Editor: It serves as a stark reminder of the dark capacity within us all, and the importance of remembering the political and historical context.