Hunger scene

See Women surprised by soldiers.

The Disasters of War included, among the depiction of the ravages of the War of Independence, numerous scenes of the famine suffered in Madrid, one of the devastating consequences of the conflict. In this Hunger Scene, the drawing shows several groups of somewhat diffuse figures seated on different planes. In the foreground are two figures seated around a prone body, with their hands on their chests and bare feet. The poorly defined lines make it difficult to identify exactly what is happening, although it could be a famine victim surrounded by mourning relatives, one of whom appears to be a young woman. In the background is a sort of portico with windows, outlined with a few large vertical blocks. Technically, it is one of the most sketchy of the non-etched preparatory drawings in this series and, like the others, is executed in sanguine.