Disparate de Carnabal (Carnival Folly)

Disparate de Carnabal (Carnival Folly) is a powerful print created by Francisco Goya in 1816. This work is executed using the demanding technique of etching and aquatint, characteristic of the late creative period of this Spanish master. Dating to the turbulent years between 1801 to 1825, this composition belongs to Goya’s deeply challenging series of dark, enigmatic graphic works known as the Disparates or Proverbios. These works marked a radical shift in Goya’s visual language, moving away from explicit social satire toward psychologically charged, symbolic imagery.

The subject matter, indicated by the title Carnival Folly, often depicts chaotic, unsettling public gatherings, merging elements of the grotesque and the absurd. Unlike the artist’s earlier, clearer narrative works, the meaning of this later series remains intentionally ambiguous. Scholars interpret this specific print as a meditation on human irrationality and the widespread anxieties prevalent in the highly restrictive era following the restoration of the Spanish monarchy. Goya’s masterful combination of etching, which provides crisp, defined lines, and the rich tonal areas achieved through aquatint, generates the brooding atmosphere and dramatic contrasts essential to these nocturnal or internal scenes of delusion.

As one of the master prints from Goya’s final major series, the composition illustrates the artist’s profound influence on subsequent Romantic and Expressionist movements in European art. The work is housed within the prestigious collection of the National Gallery of Art, Washington D.C. Although physical examples of this piece are rare and highly sought after, reproductions of many of Goya's late graphic works, including those from the Disparates series, are widely available in the public domain, ensuring their continued study and appreciation globally.