Copy of Le Paysan Accroupi (The Peasant Squatting), from Les Caprices 1620 - 1700

This is an engraving called Copy of Le Paysan Accroupi, or The Peasant Squatting, and it is on view here at the Met. At first glance, the rough, etched lines sketch out a figure in nature. The composition is divided, the left side dominated by the squatting peasant and a gnarled tree, while the right opens up to a more sparse landscape. Note how the artist used line to create texture, from the dense foliage to the etched lines suggesting the contours of the land. The image is a copy from a print of the series Los Caprichos by Francisco Goya. While Goya used aquatint which provided a full tonal range, this copyist used engraving. This changes the feeling of the image. What was originally a critique of society, now feels more like a comment on reproduction and originality. It invites questions about the value and the impact of art in a world of copies.