Might Not the Pupil Know More? 18th-19th century

Curator: This etching is titled, “Might Not the Pupil Know More?” by Francisco José de Goya y Lucientes. It’s currently held at the Harvard Art Museums. What’s your initial impression? Editor: It feels like a critique, a very bleak one, of power structures and education. The scale is intimate, but the message seems rather sharp. Curator: Goya uses the donkey as a potent symbol here. The donkey, throughout history, often represents ignorance, stubbornness, and the folly of those in positions of authority. Editor: Absolutely. And seeing the student also as a donkey points towards the cyclical nature of oppression, that the oppressed internalize and then perpetuate the structures. Curator: Yes, Goya’s visual vocabulary here is particularly biting. The mirrors, the ‘A’ on the teaching board…each feels heavy with meaning. Editor: It’s a reminder that true liberation requires questioning the very foundations upon which knowledge and power are built. It’s still relevant, isn’t it? Curator: Indeed. Goya offers a harsh, timeless lesson through this deceptively simple image. Editor: I’ll be pondering this image for some time to come.