More than art at Goya's exhibit

Eighty scenes of mankind's folly make up Francisco Goya's commentary on universal human pitfalls. Goya's print collections are on display at the University of San Diego. The display showcases the artist's biting social commentary about the Spain he knew in the early 1800s, as well as his skill in printmaking. The Founders Hall Robert and Karen Hoehn Family Galleries last Wednesday opened "Goya's Restless Monsters: Los Caprichos and the Birth of the Modern Print."
Curator of Print Collection and Fine Art Galleries at USD, Victoria Sancho Lobis, introduced the exhibit. "Greed, gluttony, vanity, marginalization of the poor and less educated, and the challenges of gender-prescribed roles are all addressed in this series of 80 etchings with aquatint that Goya first published in 1799," Lobis said.
"The idea of vision, how we perceive the world around us and the visionary, the potential for one's imagination to interpret and transcend life's cruel realities, are both dramatically explored by Goya in this series, which also represents a landmark in the expressive capabilities of the printmaking medium."
She said that "Los Caprichos" literally translated from Spanish means "The Caprices." The exhibition will be on display until Jan. 17.
"El Sueno de la Razon produce monstrous" (The Sleep of Reason Produces Monsters) is often considered the centerpiece of the collection. It depicts a man, who represents reason, with his head buried in his arms in a deep sleep while demons ominously multiply around him. This embodies the corruption and deterioration Goya viewed in society in 1799.
These prints display Goya's skill as a print maker and demonstrate his wit. He uses many puns and his prints are often ironic. The collection is also considered experimental because Goya made these prints using a technique called aquatint, which was new for his time period.
Lobis says that Goya's work bridges end of neoclassicism and the beginning of European Romanticism. She explained that the meaning of this collection is still relevant today because its themes, such as injustice, are universal. It appears as though Goya took pains to make the people in the prints appear somewhat anonymous so that they can be applicable to anyone anywhere. This makes them timeless and relevant today for USD students.
Lobis said she hopes that students will take this opportunity to appreciate the prints and realize that it is particularly special to have these on campus because an opportunity like this is not available at many universities. "Experiencing art in person is a terrific opportunity for research or just pursuing the enjoyment of it," she said.
The Print Study Room will be open to students on Tuesdays and Wednesdays from 2-5 p.m. in Founders's 102. Those who visit may view any of the prints from the university's permanent collection. The prints date from the 1500s through today and are open to any Majors.
Another of Goya's print collections, "The Disasters of War," is on display at the Joan B. Kroc Institute for Peace & Justice Fine Arts Gallery until Dec. 12.