Artwork
No se convienen (They Do Not Agree)
No se convienen (They Do Not Agree) is an ink print by the Impressionist artist Francisco Goya. It is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art. Created in 1863, *No se convienen* (They Do Not Agree) is a print that combines etching, drypoint, burin and burnisher techniques.
About this work
Overview
Created in 1863, *No se convienen* (They Do Not Agree) is a print that combines etching, drypoint, burin and burnisher techniques. The work belongs to the prolific output of Spanish artist Francisco de Goya, whose career spanned the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries. It exemplifies his interest in depicting the turbulence of his era through stark graphic imagery.
Subject & Meaning
The composition presents a frenzied crowd caught beneath a storm‑filled sky. A horse dominates the scene, its legs crushing one figure while another clings to its back. Around them, people scramble, brandishing sticks or weapons, their faces marked by panic. The title suggests a clash of wills, emphasizing the disorder and conflict inherent in the moment.
Technique & Style
Goya employed a mixture of etching, drypoint, and hand‑tool work to achieve sharply incised, jagged lines that convey urgency. The burnisher softens certain areas, creating contrast between deep, dark shadows and lighter, more delicate passages. This layered approach heightens the sense of movement and chaos, while the dense, swirling sky adds a dramatic, atmospheric backdrop.
History & Provenance
The print forms part of Goya’s broader series of socially charged images, produced during a period when he turned increasingly toward graphic media to comment on contemporary upheavals. Though the exact ownership trail is unclear, the work has been catalogued among his later prints and is referenced in scholarly surveys of his printmaking legacy.
Artist & collection
Artist
Francisco José de Goya y Lucientes (; Spanish: ; 30 March 1746 – 16 April 1828) was a Spanish romantic painter and printmaker.
Bullfights: The Moors Settled in Spain, Giving Up the Superstitions of the Qur’an, Adopted this Art of Hunting, and Spear a Bull in the Open
Bullfights: The Way in Which the Ancient Spaniards Hunted Bulls on Horseback in the Open Country
Youth, Sage, and Attendant with Horse
Peace and War: Cavalry Skirmish
Disparate furioso (Furious Folly)
Cavalry Battle
Tanto y mas (Even Worse)
Peasants' War: Arming in a Vault