Plate 16 from ‘The Disasters of War’ (Los Desastres de La Guerra): ‘They make use of them.’ (Se aprovechan.)

Description

In They Make Use of Them, Francisco Goya shows soldiers stripping the bodies of the dead beneath a stark tree. Pale, exposed limbs lie against the darker ground, while the living bend over their victims with a disturbing sense of practical purpose. The scene contains no battle in progress: its horror comes from what happens after the fighting, when even the dead are denied dignity.

Plate 16 of The Disasters of War turns plunder into an indictment of war’s everyday brutality. Goya contrasts closely observed human anatomy with the rough, inhospitable setting, making the bodies feel vulnerable rather than heroic. Created during the Peninsular War and published with the series in 1863, long after his death, the image asks the viewer to confront exploitation where a conventional military picture might offer victory.

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