Goya, by the Chapman Brothers...

12:10 p.m.

10/26/17 - Some years ago, Jake (UK, 1966) and Dinos Chapman (UK, 1962) bought a complete series of "The Disasters of War" by Francisco de Goya (Spain, 1946 – France 1828), seeking to do something with them. However, for a long time, no idea convinced them. Finally they took each of the etchings and replaced the faces of the victims with dolls and clowns. Unlike other artists, like Dalí, who between 1973 and 1977 made 80 etchings inspired by Goya's Caprichos series, the Chapman brothers work directly on the etchings of the Spanish artist.

Let's not forget that "The Disasters of War" are a savage legacy of extreme situations in highly violent times. They depict the popular rising against Joseph Bonaparte, Napoleon's brother, when he invaded Spain, unleashing the French cruelty against peasants and people in general. As they were against the Church's taste, they only became known 35 years after Goya's death.

Now the Blain Southern Gallery in London displays the complete series of Chapman's Disasters, together with other pieces. The brothers' aim is, as usual, provocative: although "The Disasters of War" lost their impact, nowadays, the intervention done on the etchings, in spite of being severe and aggressive, is true to today's violence. The Chapman have confessed their admiration to Goya's paintings. Their works, of huge visual impact as a whole, were sold entirely as soon as the exhibition was opened.