Artwork
Don't Scream Stupid, Plate 74
Don't Scream Stupid, Plate 74 is a print by the Romanticist artist Francisco Goya. It dates from 1799 and is held in the collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art.
About this work
Overview
Created around 1799, this print by Francisco de Goya, titled “Don’t Scream Stupid, Plate 74,” is part of the collection at the Cleveland Museum of Art. The work presents a compact, dramatic tableau rendered in a limited palette, focusing attention on the interaction between two figures dressed in period costume.
Subject & Meaning
The composition shows a woman in a long dress, her hands bound behind her, confronting a man in a coat and hat who grasps her arm. The woman's expression conveys fear or distress, while the man's posture suggests forceful removal. The scene evokes themes of coercion and vulnerability, common concerns in Goya’s late eighteenth‑century social commentary.
Technique & Style
Executed as a print, the image employs bold, decisive lines that define the figures against a plain background. The stark contrast and heightened gestures align with Romantic tendencies toward emotional intensity and dramatic narrative, while the simplified setting underscores the psychological focus of the encounter.
History & Provenance
The work has remained attributed to Goya since its creation in the late 1790s and is now housed in the Cleveland Museum of Art. Its accession into the museum’s collection reflects the institution’s broader commitment to representing European printmaking of the period, though specific acquisition details are not publicly recorded.
Artist & collection
Artist
Francisco José de Goya y Lucientes (; Spanish: ; 30 March 1746 – 16 April 1828) was a Spanish romantic painter and printmaker.
