Art Institute of Chicago

Soldiers Frightened by a Phantom, from Disparates, published as plate 2 in Los Proverbios

Francisco José de Goya y Lucientes

Date: 1816–19, published 1864
Medium: Etching and burnished aquatint in brown-black on ivory wove paper
Culture: Spain
Department: Prints and Drawings
Institution: Art Institute of Chicago

This nightmarish image is a conundrum. Soldiers cowering before a towering specter can be interpreted as representing the fear of death or defeat, illustrating the vulnerability of fighters during a time of war. Upon a closer look, one can see a smirking face emerging from the phantom’s sleeve, indicating that the colossal apparition may actually be a hoax. With characteristic irony, Goya mocks meaningless superstitions and irrational fears.

View at Art Institute of Chicago ↗

The authoritative record is held by Art Institute of Chicago. LinkedCulture surfaces this object and its connections; it does not alter institutional metadata.

Related across collections

Semantically similar works from Art Institute of Chicago and other institutions.

Disparate: Que Guerrero

Minneapolis Institute of Art

Strange Devotion!, plate 66 from The Disasters of War

Art Institute of Chicago

Disparate de bestia, Otras leyes por el pueblo (Animal Folly or Other Laws for the People), from the series Los Disparates (The Follies) or Los Proverbios

Minneapolis Institute of Art