Francisco de Goya y Lucientes (Spanish, 1746-1828), "Tal Para Qual", plate 5 from "Los Caprichos," the 7th edition (of 12), printed from 1903 to 1905 CE by the Calografia for the Real Academia. An etching, aquatint, and drypoint entitled "Tal Para Qual" (Two of a Kind), depicting an elegantly dressed couple in the foreground and a pair of smiling nuns wearing simple white habits, one of whom is pointing toward the rather amorous couple, printed in black ink on heavy laid paper, from Francisco de Goya y Lucientes' "Los Caprichos" (The Caprices) - one of the most influential series of graphic art images in the history of art, plate five of the series of eighty engravings and aquatints. While Goya is probably best known for his oil on canvas paintings such as "Third of May, 1808 in Madrid" (1814-15), the Prado's masterpiece memorializing the brutal, heartless massacre of Spanish freedom fighters by Napoleonic French soldiers, Goya was also one of the most important etchers of all time. "Los Caprichos" (The Caprices) is a series of eighty etchings and aquatints that provide a biting, satirical look at 18th century Spanish society, boasting a stark contrast between light and dark to create a mysterious, dark quality and amplify the disturbing subject matter. Among the general themes addressed are the corruption of the church, the conceits of the nobility, and the peasant class' subscription to witchcraft. The term "Caprice" has been used throughout art history by many artists from the Classical era through the Renaissance. According to various experts, Goya used the term to refer to other followers of this tradition, including Botticelli, Dürer, Tiepolo, and Piranesi, who valued the artist's imagination more than reality. However, Goya took a new bold approach as David Rosand points out: "Goya turned the inventive powers of the artist back upon his audience with indicting moral force. Pressing the limits of poetic license, he effectively annulled the contract between artist and society that had sustained the development of the capriccio.". For Goya, art possessed political power to incite change. The curatorial staff of the Glasgow University Library Special Collections Department captured this best with the following statement, "Whereas today many people are perfectly happy to believe or accept that art can exist for art's sake, arguably, Goya believed that art should ultimately make a difference. He uses his position as illustrado to lampoon, satirize and pillory various institutions, practices and commonly held beliefs." (http://special.lib.gla.ac.uk/exhibns/month/aug2006.html). Interestingly, when the series was initially published in 1799, only a few copies sold. Goya responded by withdrawing the prints from circulation and giving the plates and unsold first edition sets to King Carlos IV. A fabulous example from this legendary series by Goya. Size: plate measures 8" L x 5.9" W (20.3 cm x 15 cm); sheet measures 14.25" L x 9.875" W (36.2 cm x 25.1 cm).

Provenance: Ex-Denenberg Fine Arts, Los Angeles, CA.

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#117441

Excellent condition to plate mark. Tiny loss to lower left corner of sheet, else margins in very good condition.