You'll See Later; a man drinking, a woman trying to stop him; page 24 from the "Black Border Album" (E)

You'll See Later; a man drinking, a woman trying to stop him; page 24 from the "Black Border Album" (E)

Goya (Francisco de Goya y Lucientes)

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Drinking appears throughout Goya’s work, as a lubricant for social exchange, a metaphor for losing control, and a prelude to violence. In this drawing, a woman grabs at an inebriated man who, feet firmly planted and back arched, squirts wine into his mouth from a large skin. The caption complicates the subject. Referring to a future moment, it alludes to the outcome of the man’s uncontrolled drinking, but what might that outcome be? The woman’s alarm, expressed through her gesture, raised eyebrows, and open mouth, suggests it could be more than a mere hangover—perhaps something more insidious fueled by habitual activity that she is powerless to control.

Drawings and Prints

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

You'll See Later; a man drinking, a woman trying to stop him; page 24 from the "Black Border Album" (E)You'll See Later; a man drinking, a woman trying to stop him; page 24 from the "Black Border Album" (E)You'll See Later; a man drinking, a woman trying to stop him; page 24 from the "Black Border Album" (E)You'll See Later; a man drinking, a woman trying to stop him; page 24 from the "Black Border Album" (E)You'll See Later; a man drinking, a woman trying to stop him; page 24 from the "Black Border Album" (E)

The Department’s vast collection of works on paper comprises approximately 21,000 drawings, 1.2 million prints, and 12,000 illustrated books created in Europe and the Americas from about 1400 to the present day. Since its foundation in 1916, the Department has been committed to collecting a wide range of works on paper, which includes both pieces that are incredibly rare and lauded for their aesthetic appeal, as well as material that is more popular, functional, and ephemeral. The broad scope of the department’s collecting encourages questions of connoisseurship as well as those pertaining to function and context, and demonstrates the vital role that prints, drawings, and illustrated books have played throughout history.