Who painted Mascaras crueles (Cruel Masks) [recto]?

Mascaras crueles (Cruel Masks) [recto] was painted by Francisco de Goya in 1796.

Where can I see Mascaras crueles (Cruel Masks) [recto]?

Mascaras crueles (Cruel Masks) [recto] is held by National Gallery of Art.

What movement is Mascaras crueles (Cruel Masks) [recto]?

Mascaras crueles (Cruel Masks) [recto] is associated with Romanticism.

Can I buy a print of Mascaras crueles (Cruel Masks) [recto]?

Museum-quality prints of Mascaras crueles (Cruel Masks) [recto] are available made-to-order from Artifact World Gallery.

Artwork

Mascaras crueles (Cruel Masks) [recto]

Francisco de Goya , 1796

Mascaras crueles (Cruel Masks) [recto] is an ink drawing by the Romanticist artist Francisco de Goya. It dates from 1796 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art. Created in 1796, Mascaras crueles (Cruel Masks) is a drawing by the Spanish artist Francisco Goya.

Inscription: Inscribed:upper center in brush and gray ink: mascaras / 55; by later hand, upper center in pen and brown ink: crueles; by Javier Goya (?), upper right in pen and brown ink: 10; upper left verso in brush and gray ink: 56; by Javier Goya (?), upper right verso in pen and brown ink: 9.; lower center verso in brush and gray ink: Brujas; by later hand, lower right verso in pen and brown ink: à bolar

About this work

Overview

Executed on laid paper, the work combines brushwork, black ink, a gray wash and areas of scraped surface.

Created in 1796, Mascaras crueles (Cruel Masks) is a drawing by the Spanish artist Francisco Goya. Executed on laid paper, the work combines brushwork, black ink, a gray wash and areas of scraped surface. It belongs to the period when Goya was establishing his reputation as a leading figure in late‑eighteenth‑century Spanish art, a time marked by his increasing interest in graphic experimentation.

Subject & Meaning

The composition presents a woman in a dark, flowing garment extending a hand toward a masked figure crowned with horns. The masked man, dressed in a loose coat and pointed hat, clutches a small object in his right hand. The stark, empty background and the uneasy posture of the figures suggest themes of concealment, threat, or deception, resonating with the title’s reference to cruel masks.

Technique & Style

Goya employed a mixture of black ink and a diluted gray wash, applied with brush strokes that retain a spontaneous, sketch‑like quality. Areas of the paper have been deliberately scraped away, exposing the substrate and creating contrast between dark lines and lighter tones. This combination of drawing and subtractive technique contributes to a raw, immediate visual effect characteristic of Goya’s graphic works of the period.

History & Provenance

The drawing originates from Goya’s early mature phase, shortly before his appointment as court painter. While its precise ownership trail is not fully documented, the work is known from the artist’s own sketchbooks, which were later dispersed among various collections. It has been cited in scholarly catalogues as an example of Goya’s exploration of socially charged subjects through intimate, preparatory drawings.