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Francisco José de Goya y Lucientes

Be Careful with that Step!

1816/1820
Brush with black ink and gray and black wash on ivory laid paper
26.4 × 18.2 cm (10.4 × 7.2 in)

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In the collection of Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago · as of July 2026

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FROM THE ART INSTITUTE OF CHICAGO’S CATALOG

Francisco Goya seems never to have compromised his intense feelings for humanity or his acute vision of man's vanities and vices. Dating from about 1805, Be Careful with that Step! ,part of a series illustrating the follies of the young and the old, shows a girl dancing with abandon. With an astonishing economy of means (a few simple strokes of his fine-pointed brush) Goya succeeded not only in describing the materials of the girl's dress but also in capturing her quick, lively movements.

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