In terms of motif and content, this print shows Goya drawing on Disparate no. 3 and Caprichos nos. 3 and 52: A crowd of people is shrinking from two menacing figures seen from behind in the right half of the composition. At first glance, they seem to be conjoined into a sort of monstrous double creature, but on closer inspection the figure in the white cloak, who is covering the dark saber-wielding man’s back, turns out to be a scarecrow. Once again, Goya shows how easy it is to manipulate and intimidate people with the right kind of scare tactics. (TD 2024, translation Büro LS Anderson, Berlin)
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