Are you … Well, as I was telling you. Eh! Be careful or... - Francisco Goya

A satirical etching from Goya's Los Caprichos series, depicting a pompous figure surrounded by grotesque observers.

This etching, titled '¿Está Vm. pues, como digo, eh! cuidado: a nó...' (Are you … Well, as I was telling you. Eh! Be careful or...), is plate 76 from Francisco Goya's celebrated series, Los Caprichos. Published in 1799, this collection of eighty prints functions as a biting critique of the social, political, and religious institutions of late eighteenth-century Spain. Goya employs a combination of etching and aquatint to create a scene of grotesque ambiguity. The central figure, a stout, pompous individual dressed in military-style attire, stands with a cane, gesturing as if mid-sentence. He is surrounded by shadowy, distorted figures who appear to mock or observe him with sinister intent. The use of aquatint provides a soft, atmospheric wash that deepens the shadows, isolating the figures against a void-like background. This technique heightens the sense of unease and theatricality inherent in the composition. The title itself, written in Goya's hand at the bottom of the plate, captures the fragmented, nonsensical nature of the dialogue. It reflects the artist's preoccupation with the irrationality of human behaviour and the corruption of authority. By stripping away the context of the conversation, Goya forces the viewer to confront the absurdity of the scene. The figures are not merely caricatures; they are manifestations of the folly and hypocrisy that Goya observed in the Spanish court and the wider society of his time. This print remains a stark example of the artist's ability to use the medium of printmaking to challenge the status quo, employing dark humour and visual distortion to expose the moral decay he perceived around him.