Si amanece; nos vamos (When Day Breaks We Will Be Off)

Si amanece; nos vamos (When Day Breaks We Will Be Off) by Francisco Goya, created in 1799, is a powerful example of the artist’s groundbreaking use of printmaking to explore social satire and the subconscious mind. This specific impression, executed in etching, burnished aquatint, and burin on laid paper, is number 71 from the highly influential Caprichos series. The technical combination of etching, which provided the linear structure, and the subtle, tonal qualities of aquatint allowed Goya to achieve a dramatic atmosphere distinct from earlier print traditions.

The scene depicts a group of figures, likely witches or phantoms, flying or hovering above a dark, uncertain landscape. The title itself suggests a swift, mandatory retreat as daylight approaches, symbolizing the vanishing of nightmarish folly or superstitious fears when confronted by the light of reason. Goya uses the velvety blacks and deep shadows afforded by the aquatint process to heighten the sense of mystery and menace pervading the composition. The careful burnishing provides pockets of light, drawing the viewer’s eye through the dense darkness to focus on the grotesque figures ascending into the void.

Produced between 1776 to 1800, this series belongs to a period of intellectual ferment in Spanish culture, characterized by the Age of Enlightenment and growing skepticism toward religious and societal dogma. Goya’s commitment to detailing the irrationality of human behavior cemented his role as a key precursor to Romanticism. The collection of these powerful prints remains central to understanding the transition in European art from Neoclassicism to the subjective explorations of the 19th century. This specific piece, detailing the transition between night and day, superstition and reason, is preserved in the permanent collection of the National Gallery of Art.