Man Mocked by Two Women
| Man Mocked by Two Women | |
|---|---|
| Spanish: Dos mujeres riéndose de un hombre | |
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| Artist | Francisco Goya |
| Year | c. 1820–1823 |
| Medium | Oil on gesso transferred to linen |
| Dimensions | 125.4 cm × 65.4 cm (49.4 in × 25.7 in) |
| Location | Museo del Prado, Madrid |
Man Mocked by Two Women or Women Laughing or (Spanish: Dos Mujeres y un hombre) or The Ministration (Spanish: Dos Mujeres Y Un Hombre) are names given to a painting likely completed between 1820–1823 by the Spanish artist Francisco Goya.
It is one of Goya's 14 "Black Paintings", a series created in despair near the end of his life, and is oppressively dark in both mood and colour. It shows two women with maniacal smiles seemingly laughing at a simple-minded man masturbating at the right hand of the picture. Despite their jeers, the woman to the left is also likely masturbating, which — in the absence of any written or oral comment from Goya on any work on the series — art critics and historians believe lends to the image's futile and sterile intent.
At the age of 75, living alone and in mental and physical despair, he completed the work as one of his 14 Black Paintings, his final major series, which were executed in oil directly onto the plaster walls of the house he was living in outside Madrid. Goya did not intend for any of these paintings to be seen by others; they were executed during an intense period of physical, mental and political disillusionment, and he never spoke or wrote about them. Although today they are considered amongst the most important works of his output, it was not until some 50 years after his death, around 1874, that they were taken down and transferred to a canvas support.
The work shows three figures, generally thought to be two witch-like women and one man, huddled together against a black background and lit from the front left. The intended meaning of the work is highly obscure. The background is devoid of setting or detail, and no context is given as to who these people might be, what they are captured doing, or where the scene is set. The figure at right, facing us, is generally presumed to be male. His hands are around his crotch; he appears to be either masturbating, exposing himself or simply mentally retarded. According to art critic Fred Licht, "The sickly grin of his face certainly seems indicative of some sort of sexual compulsion".
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Wikipedia