Anna Reuter

Goya

Francisco de Goya was one of the most innovative peintre-graveurs of the late 18th and early 19th centuries, his etchings and lithographs masterpieces of modern printmaking. Trained in Spain and Italy, and appointed First Court Painter to Charles IV early in his career, he brought the sensibilities of the Enlightenment into uneasy dialogue with the brutal realities of his time. Whether working in single sheets, like the harrowing The Garrotted Man or the sublime Seated Giant, or across his celebrated series—the satirical Caprichos, the unflinching Desastres de la Guerra, the dynamic Tauromaquia, and the nightmarish Disparates—Goya chronicled both the spirit and the shadows of a world in upheaval, where the individual was often crushed by violence, superstition, or power. These weren’t just reflections on Spanish society. They were indictments, meditations, and warnings, etched in copperplates. This landmark collection of 287 etchings and lithographs gathers Goya’s complete printed œuvre, including editions produced under his direct supervision, as well as rare state proofs from unpublished series, giving uncommon insight into his restless experimentation and meticulous control over the printmaking process. With a detailed commentary on each image and commanding essays by José Manuel Matilla and Anna Reuter, this volume is the culmination of more than two centuries of scholarly research, and is a searing visual narrative. Goya did not simply depict his world. He dissected it, laying bare the eternal tensions between reason and madness, justice and cruelty, hope and despair.