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They Have Already Flown

Art Appreciation

This evocative etching captures a haunting interplay of figures, where a serene woman with outstretched arms seems to float above or be borne by contorted, ghostly men beneath her. The woman's calm demeanor starkly contrasts with the grotesque, almost spectral faces of the men whose twisted postures convey struggle or torment. The lines are fluid yet dense, the shadows rendered with fine cross-hatching that creates an eerie atmosphere of weightlessness and tension. Subtle sepia tones lend the image a timeless, dreamlike quality that intensifies the emotional clash between grace and burden.

Goya's masterful use of etching here highlights his ability to fuse the human with the supernatural, reflecting early 19th-century anxieties of society and the occult. The composition creates a spiraling movement, leading the eye from the grounded despair below to the transcendent calm above, suggesting themes of escape, oppression, and the duality of human nature. The expressive brushwork and strategic light and shade deepen a sensorial response, drawing you into a mysterious, unsettling narrative without words.

They Have Already Flown

Francisco Goya

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Created:

1823

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Dimensions:

1715 × 2481 px

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