1799
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art
Dominant colour
What a Golden Beak!, Plate 53 is a 1799 by Francisco Goya, a Romanticism work, held at Cleveland Museum of Art.
This dark, crowded scene shows a group of people gathered around a sick person lying in bed. One person is holding a candle, and a small owl perches on the bedpost, staring down. The faces look worried, and the room feels heavy and quiet. The title at the bottom, *"Qué pico de Oro"* ("What a Golden Beak!"), hints this might be a joke about the owl’s sharp eyes—or maybe the doctor’s useless advice. The lighting is dramatic, with strong shadows and bright spots. Try looking up chiaroscuro to see how artists use light and dark like this.
Francisco José de Goya y Lucientes (; Spanish: ; 30 March 1746 – 16 April 1828) was a Spanish romantic painter and printmaker.
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