Ridiculous folly (preparatory drawing)

Preparatory drawing for Ridiculous folly.

Goya created the composition of the print from the simple sketches presented in this sketch. The image is very confused and imprecise, little more than a blur where the lines twist and turn on themselves, in which no expression or figure can be made out. Only a human face, very clearly defined, emerges from the jumble in the centre and at the top of the branch. Below the jumble, a thick tree trunk can be seen on the right, from which the branch that supports the figures starts and ends on the ground, crossing the entire panel and making an arc. There is earth and a slight hint of vegetation where the branch ends, which is eliminated in the engraving, leaving it alone in an indeterminate space.