The custody is as barbarous as the crime. (The Little Prisoner)
収監は犯罪と同様に野蛮である （囚人）
- Birth Year
- 1746
- Death Year
- 1828
- Date
- ca. 1815 (printed i 1867)
- Technique, Material, Format
- etching
- Dimension
- 9.9 x 7.5 cm
- Donor name
- Mr. Ogata Tai (formerly owned by Kojima Usui)
- Category
- Print by Foreign Artist
- Inventory Number
- 2019-PRF-048
A man is imprisoned with thick chains and shackles. His face, right arm, and left leg sink into the shadows, while his whole contorted body looks like it could be swallowed by darkness at any moment. His hollow eyes are so dark they are impossible to discern, but his hands, clasped together as if in prayer, tell the story of his suffering. One can’t help wondering what crime could ever warrant such inhumane treatment. With just a few instruments, the prisoner’s posture, and the strong contrast between light and dark, Francisco José de Goya y Lucientes draws out the extreme violence hidden behind the act of judgment. He did not shy away from mankind’s capacity for barbarism or despair, and his unrelenting gaze informs each line of this small etching.
(SAKAMOTO Kyoko)