Dimensions: 210 x 210 mm
Pages: 32
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Introductory Essay
Described as the first modern artist and the last ‘Old Master’, Francisco de Goya stands on the threshold of the modern age or perhaps more accurately, our modern understanding of what art is. Goya acknowledged his great debt to Rembrandt: ‘I have had three masters: Nature, Velázquez and Rembrandt’ and his first great etching suite, Los Caprichos was inspired to a large degree by the extensive holdings of Rembrandt’s graphic work in the Royal Collection of Charles IV that he had privileged access to.
The publication of Los Caprichos in 1799 was a pivotal moment and it has exerted a profound influence. Artists from Delacroix, Manet, and Daumier to Otto Dix and Paula Rego have all acknowledged its importance and helped to burnish its reputation. The ‘Celestine’ suite of etchings in Picasso’s 347 series finds direct precedent in Los Caprichos while the 347 is also a continuation of the dialogue with the example of Rembrandt that Picasso had initiated with his Vollard Suite of etchings in the 1930s.
That this rich artistic inheritance is mediated primarily through etching is particularly exciting for a gallery specialising in print and we have revelled in the opportunity to examine the shared heritage of these three giants of the art. We hope that you find as much enjoyment exploring this show as we have found in curating it.
Vincent Eames, October 2017
