A woman pulling at her hair accompanied by a group of figures; page 76 from the "Images of Spain" Album (F)

A woman pulling at her hair accompanied by a group of figures; page 76 from the "Images of Spain" Album (F)

Goya (Francisco de Goya y Lucientes)

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

The subject of this drawing is mysterious. A distinctive dome flanked by a tower suggests a specific form of architecture, but what does it represent? The young woman wearing a simple dress and pulling her hair is the most important figure in the composition. The significance of her gesture is unclear. Is she anguished, in pain, happy, or suffering from madness or some other malady? Her expression might even indicate a state of reverie. Despite her dramatic disposition, only two of the surrounding figures—those seated farthest at left—seem to be paying attention to her, hinting at the idea that individuals exist in isolation, disconnected from one another.

Drawings and Prints

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

A woman pulling at her hair accompanied by a group of figures; page 76 from the "Images of Spain" Album (F)A woman pulling at her hair accompanied by a group of figures; page 76 from the "Images of Spain" Album (F)A woman pulling at her hair accompanied by a group of figures; page 76 from the "Images of Spain" Album (F)A woman pulling at her hair accompanied by a group of figures; page 76 from the "Images of Spain" Album (F)A woman pulling at her hair accompanied by a group of figures; page 76 from the "Images of Spain" Album (F)

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.