Plate 63 from ‘Los Caprichos’: Look how solemn they are! (Miren que grabes!)

Description

Francisco Goya’s Look How Solemn They Are! stages an extraordinary procession of hybrid creatures. Grotesque riders sit on the shoulders of equally monstrous bearers, mixing human bodies with animal heads and features. One rider’s clasped hands suggest a show of devotion, while the strange mounts carry the group with ponderous dignity. A distant crowd makes this absurd display appear disturbingly public.

Plate 63 of Los Caprichos, published in 1799, turns outward solemnity into a question about the character of those who claim authority. Goya’s hybrids refuse the reassuring distinction between civilized leaders and beasts. Etched detail gives their forms a persuasive solidity, while the broad tonal setting lets their silhouettes dominate. The title encourages us to look carefully at a spectacle whose seriousness only deepens its absurdity.

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