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What more can be done? (Qué hai que hacer mas?), Plate 33 of The Disasters of War
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What more can be done? (Qué hai que hacer mas?), Plate 33 of The Disasters of War Etched about 1810 - 1820 (published 1863)
This print shows French soldiers brutally mutilating a Spaniard by cutting him in half with a sword. Few images of war have shown the deliberate acts of cruelty that man is capable of inflicting on fellow individuals as strongly as this. Many of the titles that Goya chose for his prints were almost conversational, giving the sense that he was directly addressing his viewer. Here, he posed a question with apparent detachment, asking the viewer whether it was possible to do anything more cruel than what is being shown. This challenge to imagine further acts of depravity underlines the degenerative nature of war, and by comparison, the total collapse of the progressive Age of Enlightenment.

Glossary Open

Enlightenment

A philosophical movement of the 18th century that emphasised the use of reason to question established beliefs and traditions. Associated ideas included a greater sense of individualism, a belief in human progress and an equation of God with the laws of nature.

Print

An image pressed or stamped onto paper or fabric. This encompasses a wide variety of techniques, usually produced in multiples, although one-off prints, known as monoprints, are also included. The term is also applied to photographic images.

Enlightenment, Print

Details

  • Acc. No. GOYA.59
  • Medium Etching, lavis, drypoint, burin and burnisher on paper
  • Size 15.50 x 20.50 cm
  • Credit Purchased 1967

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