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The Seesaw (1791)
Francisco Goya·1791
Historical Context
The Seesaw, painted in 1791, is one of Goya's late tapestry cartoons, designed for the Royal Tapestry Factory of Santa Bárbara. It depicts figures on a seesaw in a pastoral landscape, a subject that belongs to the tradition of outdoor amusement scenes popular in European decorative art. Now in the Philadelphia Museum of Art, the cartoon left Spain through the dispersal of tapestry factory holdings. These final cartoons represent Goya's most accomplished work in the format — the compositions achieve a naturalism and atmospheric subtlety far beyond the decorative requirements of the tapestry program. Within months of completing this series, Goya's devastating illness would permanently alter the direction of his art.
Technical Analysis
Goya renders the playful scene with dynamic energy and the bright palette of tapestry design, capturing the physical movement and excitement of the game with characteristic vitality.
Look Closer
- ◆Notice the figures on the seesaw, their bodies describing the arc of motion with dynamic energy.
- ◆Look at the pastoral landscape, which provides a naturalistic setting far more atmospheric than Goya's earliest cartoons.
- ◆Observe the bright, high-key palette designed to read clearly as a tapestry, showing warm yellows and blues against green.
- ◆The composition captures physical movement and excitement — the figures lean into the game with convincing bodily involvement.
- ◆Find the subtle atmospheric depth in the background, more sophisticated than typical decorative tapestry backgrounds.
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