Dogs Chasing a Cat on a Man on a Donkey
Francisco Goya·c. 1787
Historical Context
Dogs Chasing a Cat on a Man on a Donkey is a tapestry cartoon from around 1787, now in the Barnes Foundation in Philadelphia. The humorous scene of barnyard chaos belongs to Goya's later series of cartoon designs, where comic subjects from popular Spanish life are rendered with increasing naturalistic skill. The cartoon's journey from the Royal Tapestry Factory in Madrid to the Barnes Foundation reflects the collecting enthusiasm of Albert C. Barnes, who assembled one of America's greatest collections of European art in the early twentieth century. Goya's cartoons were not widely appreciated as independent artworks until the nineteenth century, when their fresh palette and lively observation attracted collectors beyond Spain.
Technical Analysis
Goya renders the chaotic scene with characteristic energy and vivid action, using the dynamic movement of animals and rider to create a composition that balances humor with an undertone of cruelty.
Look Closer
- ◆Notice the chaotic animal energy: dogs, a cat on a donkey, and the rider's attempted control create a composition of barnyard chaos rendered with Goya's characteristic kinetic energy.
- ◆Look at the humor and the undertone of cruelty: the animals' distress within the comic action gives the scene an ambiguous quality characteristic of Goya's treatment of animal subjects.
- ◆Observe the confident late cartoon handling: by 1787 Goya's naturalistic observation and compositional skill were at their mature peak.
- ◆Find this cartoon's journey from the Royal Tapestry Factory to the Barnes Foundation: Albert Barnes's unconventional collecting instinct recognized Goya's cartoons as significant independent works rather than mere decorative designs.
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