Francisco de Goya

Will the disciple know more?

Clasificación
Will the disciple know more?
Datos Generales
Cronología
Ca. 1797 - 1798
Dimensiones
218 x 153 mm
Técnica y soporte
Aguafuerte, aguatinta bruñida y buril
Reconocimiento de la autoría de Goya
Undisputed work
Titular
Ailsa Mellon Bruce Collection
Ficha: realización/revisión
13 Dec 2010 / 21 Jun 2023
Inventario
225
Inscripciones

Si sabrá mas el discipulo? (at the bottom)

37. (in the upper right-hand corner)

Historia

See Francisco de Goya y Lucientes, Painter.

There are some early printings in which the title is uncorrected, as the word "sabrá" does not have an accent and the question mark does not appear.

In a state proof, the master-assassin's left hoof appears, but Goya decided to remove it in the final version, possibly to humanise him more.

A preparatory drawing for this engraving is in the Prado Museum.

Análisis artístico

In the centre of the engraving, a donkey is teaching several smaller donkeys to read. The teacher is seated on the ground, wearing a cap that covers his ears and wearing a knotted tie and sleeves with frilly cuffs. Between his paws he holds an open book with four "A's". In one of his hooves he holds a stick with which to impose his discipline if necessary. In front of the book, a pupil is trying to learn the lesson with three other pupils in the background, one of whom seems to be braying to repeat the letters. The animal in the foreground is also dressed in human clothing and raises a paw that rests on the page.

Goya insists in this picture, as an enlightened man, on the importance of education as the foundation for a better society and criticises the lack of training that teachers often had. He uses the figure of the donkey to ridicule some teachers who, because of their training, could never achieve good results.

Edith Helman points out the relationship between this print and the novel by José Francisco de Isla de la Torre y Rojo (Vidanes, León, 1703-Bologna, 1781),  History of the Famous Preacher Fray Gerundio de Campazas, alias Zotes. This text tells the story of Gerundio, born in the town of Campazas in León and the son of a wealthy farmer, who attended a school where his own teacher was an ignoramus.

This engraving inaugurates in the series of The Caprices what have come to be known as "asnerías", a compact group of prints which ends in Capricho no. 42, You Who Cannot. They feature the donkey, a figure that forms part of Goya's iconography and which the painter used to refer to stupidity and ignorance. It is likely that Goya was aware of the presence of this animal in the writings of Erasmus of Rotterdam (Rotterdam, 1466-Basel, 1536) or Andrea Alciato (Alzano, Milan, 1492-Pavía, 1550), which may have served as a source of inspiration.

Conservación

The plate is in poor condition with the aquatint rather weakened (the National Chalcography, no. 208).

Exposiciones
  • Goya. Gemälde Zeichnungen. Graphik. Tapisserien
    Kunsthalle Basel
    Basle
    1953
    from January 23th to April 12th 1953
  • Goya. La década de Los Caprichos
    Madrid
    1992
    organized by Real Academia de Bellas Artes de San Fernando sponsored by Fundación Central Hispano, Madrid, consultant editor Nigel Glendinnig. From October 26th 1992 to January 10th 1993
  • Goya
    Nationalmuseum
    Stockholm
    1994
    consultant editors Juan J. Luna and Görel Cavalli-Björkman. From October 7th 1994 to January 8th 1995
  • Francisco de Goya
    Museo d'Arte Moderna
    Lugano
    1996
    exhibition celebrated from September 22nd to November 17th.
  • Francisco Goya. Sein leben im spiegel der graphik. Fuendetodos 1746-1828 Bordeaux. 1746-1996
    Galerie Kornfeld
    Bern
    1996
    from November 21st 1996 to January 1997
  • Goya artista de su tiempo y Goya artista único
    The National Museum of Western Art
    Tokyo
    1999
    from December 1st to July 3th 1999
  • Goya e la tradizione italiana
    Fondazione Magnani Rocca
    Mamiano di Traversetolo (Parma)
    2006
    consultant editors Fred Licht and Simona Tosini Pizzetti. From September 9th to December 3th 2006
  • Goya. Opera grafica
    Pinacoteca del Castello di San Giorgio
    Legnano
    2006
    exhibition celebrated from December 16th 2006 to April 1st 2007
  • Goya luces y sombras
    CaixaForum
    Barcelona
    2012
    consultant editors José Manuel Matilla and Manuela B. Marqués. From March 16th to June 24th 2012
  • Goya et la modernité
    Pinacothèque de Paris
    París
    2013
    from October 11st 2013 to March 16th 2014
  • Goya: Order and disorder
    Museum of Fine Arts
    Boston
    2014
Bibliografía
  • HARRIS, Tomás
    Goya engravings and lithographs, vol. I y II.
    Bibliography']['number
    OxfordBruno Cassirer
    1964
    p.109, cat. 72
  • GASSIER, Pierre y WILSON, Juliet
    Vie et ouvre de Francisco de Goya
    Bibliography']['number
    ParísOffice du livre
    1970
    p.180, cat. 522
  • WILSON BAREAU, Juliet
    Goya, la década de los caprichos: dibujos y aguafuertes
    Bibliography']['number
    MadridReal Academia de Bellas Artes de San Fernando
    1992
    pp.217-220, cat. 129-131
  • SANTIAGO, Elena M. (coordinadora)
    Catálogo de las estampas de Goya en la Biblioteca Nacional
    Bibliography']['number
    MadridMinisterio de Educación y Cultura, Biblioteca Nacional
    1996
    p.93, cat. 126
  • BLAS BENITO, Javier, MATILLA RODRÍGUEZ, José Manuel y MEDRANO, José Miguel
    El libro de los caprichos: dos siglos de interpretaciones (1799-1999). Catálogo de los dibujos, pruebas de estado, láminas de cobre y estampas de la primera edición
    Bibliography']['number
    MadridMuseo Nacional del Prado
    1999
    pp.212-215
  • OROPESA, Marisa and RINCÓN GARCÍA, Wilfredo
    Bibliography']['number
    ParísPinacoteca de París
    2013
    p. 204
  • ILCHMAN, Frederick y STEPANEK, Stephanie L. (comisarios)
    Goya: Order & Disorder
    Bibliography']['number
    BostonMuseum of Fine Arts Boston Publications
    2014
    p.118
  • WILSON BAREAU, Juliet
    Goya. In the Norton Simon Museum
    Bibliography']['number
    PasadenaNorton Simon Museum
    2016
    pp. 42-75
Enlaces externos
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