Girl on a swing, a man with his arms raised 1795 - 1797

Curator: "Girl on a Swing, a Man with his Arms Raised" is the name of this pencil drawing by Francisco de Goya, created sometime between 1795 and 1797. Goya’s piece shows a woman joyfully swinging through the air as a man looks up at her, arms raised in either admiration or anticipation. Editor: It strikes me as… ambivalent. There’s that central figure enjoying her apparent freedom and lightness, but then the slightly desperate figure below, and other indistinct figures surrounding them. It's as though joy and constraint are intertwined. Curator: The Romantic era certainly explored such contrasts. As we can see, Goya positions this work in a playful, almost theatrical light, reflecting his era’s focus on drama and feeling. Genre painting of this time was meant to comment on public morals as much as capture everyday pleasures. The artist aimed to show society its folly, and in this work we might see commentary on courtship and gendered interactions in 18th-century Spain. Editor: I am interested in those potential interpretations. Perhaps the woman's joyous abandon is not innocent freedom at all, but rather a staged performance within a patriarchal system. Her freedom is enabled and observed; she is simultaneously empowered and constrained. The ambiguity of the male figure’s expression complicates this further. Is it support? Entrapment? Both? Curator: And look closer at Goya’s rapid pencil strokes and shading. These choices bring forth emotional nuance. It's far from the polished commissions that other artists sought from noble houses. These works became part of albums he would not exhibit publicly. Editor: Exactly. Goya's decision to not publicize it lends credence to interpreting "Girl on a Swing" as a critique of the very performances society dictates. Curator: Such a small sketch and yet there is much we can unearth to discover Goya’s political intentions behind even the seeming simplest work. Editor: It truly highlights the complicated power dynamics at play in the art—and society—of his time. This drawing encourages questioning beyond face value.