Disparate quieto (Quiet Folly)

Seated in the center of the composition is a human being of grotesque ugliness. Lost in thought, his hands meekly folded, he is the object of unrestrained scorn and derision from those around him. This would be a deeply depressing image of human baseness and the capacity for suffering, had Goya not placed a small dog at the feet of the humiliated creature. Barking loudly, it defends the pathetic figure against the jeering mob and is thus the only creature to show understanding, compassion, loyalty, and courage. (TD 2024, translation Büro LS Anderson, Berlin)