Women chatting
Francisco Goya·1791
Historical Context
Women Chatting from 1791, at the Wadsworth Atheneum in Hartford, is one of Goya's final tapestry cartoons — the last series he produced before his serious illness of 1792–93 interrupted his decorative career. The intimate subject of female conversation in an outdoor setting allowed him to observe the social dynamics between women with the naturalistic eye he brought to all his figure subjects, noting the postures and expressions of listening and speaking, confidence and deference, that characterise conversation between different social types. The Wadsworth Atheneum's acquisition of this work places a Goya tapestry cartoon in one of North America's oldest public art museums, founded in 1842 in Hartford, Connecticut. This late cartoon demonstrates the refined naturalism of his final decorative manner — more psychologically observant than the early cartoon series while retaining the compositional clarity required of works that would be translated into tapestry and displayed in royal apartments.
Technical Analysis
Goya renders the conversing women with natural grace and the bright palette of tapestry design, using gesture and expression to convey the dynamics of social interaction with characteristic psychological insight.
Look Closer
- ◆Notice the natural intimacy of women's conversation: Goya renders the social dynamics of female interaction with the same psychological observation he brought to his individual portraits.
- ◆Look at the atmospheric handling: this late cartoon has a looser, more painterly quality than earlier designs, showing Goya's increasing restlessness with the tapestry format's constraints.
- ◆Observe the warm outdoor setting: even in this relatively simple composition, Goya creates a convincing sense of place and light.
- ◆Find this as one of the final cartoons: within months of its completion, Goya's illness would permanently transform his art.
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