Que viene el Coco - Francisco de Goya

A striking etching and aquatint from Goya's Los Caprichos series, depicting a mother and children reacting to a mysterious, cloaked figure.

Que viene el Coco is the third plate from Los Caprichos, a series of eighty prints published by Francisco de Goya in 1799. This work employs etching and aquatint to explore the psychological weight of superstition and the manipulation of fear within domestic life. The composition features a mother clutching two terrified children, who recoil from a looming, cloaked figure. The title translates to 'Here comes the Bogeyman,' a common nursery warning used by parents to ensure obedience.

Goya uses the aquatint process to create deep, atmospheric shadows that contrast with the stark white of the mother's shawl and the children's clothing. The figure of the 'Coco' is ambiguous, appearing as a dark, faceless mass that dominates the right side of the frame. By obscuring the identity of the threat, Goya focuses the viewer on the visceral reaction of the subjects. The children's expressions of genuine panic, contrasted with the mother's protective yet weary posture, suggest a critique of the irrational fears instilled in the youth of the period.

This print reflects Goya's broader interest in the irrationality of human behaviour and the societal structures that perpetuate ignorance. Unlike his later, more overtly political works, this piece examines the private sphere, demonstrating how fear is transmitted across generations. The technical mastery of the aquatint allows for a tonal range that heightens the sense of unease. The work remains a stark observation of the psychological tools used to maintain order, stripped of sentimentality or moralising narrative. It is a precise study of human vulnerability in the face of the unknown, rendered with the sharp, observational eye that defined Goya's career as a printmaker.