The new works on paper rotation, Caricature, Fashion and Fantasy features a group of prints from Goya's series Los Caprichos (The Caprices).
The series was a not-so-subtle critique of the foolishness of Spanish society during the late 18th century but the messages are universal dealing with issues such as the horrors of war, vanity, superstition and general stupidity.
The eight prints on view are amusing but also telling about what that society considered most important: money, fashion and status. Something that I'm sure us enlightened 21st centurians can find hard to relate to.
In All Plucked (above), Goya shows several women chasing a group of chickens with their brooms. The chickens have been newly plucked of their feathers and have the heads of men. The inscription on the print explains that once a woman has got a hold of a man's money, he can be discarded.
Another print, Until Death, shows an old woman primping in front of a mirror while her relatives fawn over her waiting for her untimely death when they might stand to inherit a great sum of money.
If you're not interested in the messages of the prints, you've got to appreciate the work of an artist who was considered one of the last great old masters. Plus, these works are not on view very often because they are highly sensitive to light. Either way, it is a valuable lesson.