The Garroted Man

"The Garroted Man" by Francisco Goya, originally conceived around 1780, is a powerful early example of the artist’s enduring engagement with social and political realities. This specific impression, printed around 1830 as part of a second edition, utilizes etching and possibly burin on smooth wove paper, showcasing Goya’s skill as a printmaker even before his most famous series. The original creation date falls within the crucial period of 1776 to 1800, a time when Enlightenment ideals challenged established Spanish judicial practices.

Goya chose the medium of prints to depict a judicial execution by the garrote, a method of strangulation notorious for its cruelty and public spectacle in eighteenth-century Spain. Unlike the expansive narrative of his later series, The Disasters of War, this work focuses starkly on the condemned figure isolated against an empty backdrop, emphasizing the victim's loneliness and the brutal efficiency of the machinery of death. The dark, concentrated lines created through the etching process enhance the dramatic intensity and underscore the artist’s critique of institutional violence. Goya often employed such visceral imagery to comment on the rigid authority and deep societal issues prevalent under the Old Regime.

As one of his significant early works addressing human suffering, this piece demonstrates Goya's lifelong preoccupation with injustice. The survival of multiple editions, including these later prints, attests to the continued importance and impact of the image. This impression currently resides in the collection of the National Gallery of Art, contributing to its comprehensive holdings of early modern prints. Today, high-resolution reproductions of this impactful work are often made available through public domain initiatives, allowing for widespread study of Goya’s powerful observations on morality and law.