Bellos consejos. 1796 - 1797

Curator: Looking at Goya's etching and engraving, created sometime between 1796 and 1797, titled "Bellos consejos", I immediately notice the dramatic contrast. The deep blacks against the stark whites create such a theatrical intensity! Editor: The play of light is certainly arresting; it sculpts the figures and adds to the underlying drama of the piece. There’s a feeling of unease that emanates from the arrangement itself. Curator: Exactly! There are two women depicted: one young, seemingly affluent, being guided or, shall we say, instructed by an older, wizened woman. You can just feel the tension, that unspoken exchange between generations about societal expectations or perhaps secrets. Editor: I'm intrigued by the way Goya uses line to define form and texture. Notice the fine, almost feathery strokes creating the lace and shawls, juxtaposed against the bolder lines that outline the figures. It creates a hierarchy; a delicate façade overlying something more stark and fundamental. It reminds me of structuralist theory about how the underlying architecture defines surface meaning. Curator: That’s insightful. Goya had this uncanny ability to capture the darkness lurking beneath the surface of elegance and social decorum, especially when he turned his attention to portraits and everyday scenes. It’s almost as if he whispers a sardonic joke in our ears about human nature. He never fails to ignite such vibrant, unsettling emotions in me. Editor: I think he uses the medium itself to do this. The stark, unforgiving nature of etching allows for very little subtlety in terms of color, compelling him to build the composition in terms of tonal value alone. This means that the work pivots less around mimetic verisimilitude, or faithful depictions, but is freed towards the expression of an internal vision of harsh candor and judgement. Curator: Perhaps it serves as a timeless reminder to reflect upon whose advice we heed. Editor: Indeed. Goya offers us not just a picture but an encounter, a complex exchange captured in the charged contrast between light and darkness.