Plate 8 from ‘The Disasters of War’ (Los Desastres de la Guerra): ‘It always happens.’ (Siempre sucede.)

Description

In It always happens, a horse and rider collapse in a violent reversal of movement, bringing the instability of mounted combat into sharp focus. Francisco Goya’s It Always Happens turns a sudden mishap into a statement of recurring consequence. The fall makes the rider’s former position of command disappear, leaving human and animal caught in the same disruption.

Made in 1810 and published in 1863, plate 8 of The Disasters of War uses etching and drypoint to give the scene a direct physical energy. Goya’s caption removes the idea that this is an exceptional interruption of otherwise orderly action. The image’s force comes from the loss of balance, where movement can no longer be directed and advantage changes instantly into exposure. Its brief account of recurrence makes the individual accident part of a wider pattern of vulnerability.

Read our guide to giclée prints or browse the Goya collection.