The Healthy and the Sick 18th-19th century

Curator: Goya’s “The Healthy and the Sick” is a powerful etching. The stark contrast and skeletal figures evoke a sense of despair and social critique. Editor: It really does feel bleak. What do you see in this piece? Curator: The print is a part of the artist's exploration of societal ills. It's a commentary on the disparities between the privileged and the marginalized, laid bare through the visual language of suffering. Consider how the figures are rendered, nearly skeletal. What does that say about the distribution of resources and the consequences of neglect? Editor: So, it’s not just about illness, but about who gets to be healthy and who doesn’t? Curator: Exactly. Goya often used his art to critique power structures and expose injustice. Looking at this work, we have to ask ourselves, whose suffering is made visible, and whose is ignored? Editor: That gives the work a whole new layer of meaning. Thanks!