The Horrors of War: Will She Rise Again?

Executed as a print, the image employs strong chiaroscuro contrasts to heighten the sense of dread. Goya’s handling of line and tone creates a bleak atmosphere, with the dark background swallowing the figure and emphasizing the isolation of the solitary, luminous form.

The work dates to the immediate aftermath of the Napoleonic conflicts that ravaged the Iberian Peninsula. It entered the Cleveland Museum of Art’s holdings through acquisition in the twentieth century, joining a broader assemblage of Goya’s prints that illustrate his response to contemporary turmoil.

Goya’s later prints frequently addressed the horrors of war, reflecting his personal disillusionment after witnessing the atrocities of the early nineteenth‑century conflicts. This piece aligns with that thematic preoccupation, using allegorical representation to comment on national trauma rather than depicting a specific historical episode.