Y no hai remedio (And There's No Help for It)

Y no hai remedio (And There's No Help for It) by Francisco Goya is plate 15 from the powerful graphic series Los Desastres de la Guerra (The Disasters of War). Though the images for this groundbreaking series were created by the artist during the Peninsular War (c. 1810-1820), this specific impression was published posthumously in 1863, placing it squarely within the designated 1851 to 1875 period. As a seminal example of Spanish art, this print masterwork utilizes a complex combination of techniques essential to the graphic arts. Goya employed the precise cutting of etching, the subtle textural shading of drypoint, and the physical scraping of the burin and burnisher to achieve the dramatic contrasts necessary for the composition's emotional impact.

The subject matter, typical of Los Desastres, serves as an unflinching testament to the brutal consequences of armed conflict. The composition centers on a bound victim, often blindfolded, standing before the barrels of an unseen firing squad. The light is focused intensely on the figure, dramatically highlighting the impending execution and emphasizing the starkness of the moment referenced in the title. Goya used the widespread accessibility of prints, especially etchings, to disseminate his radical and raw commentary on injustice and violence during a period of immense social upheaval.

This work demonstrates Goya’s late stylistic phase, characterized by dark irony, psychological depth, and a radical departure from idealized history painting. The artist’s powerful vision profoundly influenced subsequent generations of European graphic artists. The enduring relevance and intensity of Y no hai remedio have secured its reputation as one of the most significant anti-war statements in art history. This impression resides in the extensive collection of the National Gallery of Art, forming a key example of Goya’s work, which today is widely available for study and viewing in the public domain.