Que viene el Coco - Francisco Goya

A striking etching and aquatint from Goya's Los Caprichos series, depicting a mother protecting her children from a looming, mysterious figure.

Que viene el Coco, or Here comes the bogey-man, is plate 3 from Francisco Goya's series Los Caprichos. Published in 1799, this collection of eighty prints functions as a critique of the social, religious, and political structures of late eighteenth-century Spain. Goya employs aquatint to create deep, atmospheric shadows that contrast with the stark white of the figures, a technique that defines the visual tension of the work. The scene depicts a mother shielding her two children from a looming, cloaked figure. The title refers to a traditional Spanish nursery rhyme used to frighten children into obedience. Goya transforms this domestic superstition into a broader commentary on the manipulation of fear. The mother appears terrified, clutching her children, while the children themselves exhibit genuine distress. The figure of the bogey-man is ambiguous, suggesting that the true source of terror may be the societal institutions that rely on such threats to maintain control. Technically, the print demonstrates Goya's mastery of tonal variation. The background is rendered in a dense, dark wash, pushing the figures into the foreground. The light source is unclear, casting the scene in a dreamlike, unsettling quality. This work is representative of Goya's shift toward more personal and critical subject matter, moving away from his earlier court commissions. The print serves as an example of how Goya used the medium of etching to disseminate his observations on human folly and the darker aspects of the human condition. The composition is tight and claustrophobic, focusing the viewer's attention on the immediate reaction of the mother and children to the encroaching shadow.