Art Institute of Chicago

Here Comes the Bogeyman, plate three from Los Caprichos

Francisco José de Goya y Lucientes

Date

1797/99

Medium

Etching and aquatint on ivory laid paper

Culture

Spain

Department

Prints and Drawings

Institution

Art Institute of Chicago

Plate 3 of The Caprices features a mother with her two children who are frightened by a blanketed figure of el coco (the bogeyman) in the foreground. The mother’s expression contrasts with those of her children: she smiles in gratitude and appreciation. Goya is criticizing the common practice of using fear to keep children well behaved. The print also contains a spelling error, as Goya spells viene , the Spanish verb for “to come,” incorrectly. This is a common mistake due to similarity in sounds between the Spanish b and v . He corrected it in later editions of the print.

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