Relationships
Francisco de Goya
Manuel Osorio Manrique de Zuñiga
1787–88
Oil on canvas, 127 × 101.6 cm. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York
A boy's red suit is the only large patch of intense color, set in a room of soft grays and browns. Much of its force comes from how muted its surroundings are.
- The suit gave the portrait its nickname, the "Red Boy," used in the museum's own publications.
- The sash and lace collar are nearly colorless, so nothing else competes with the red.
- The cats are mostly gray, black and white, with warm patches on one and amber eyes; the magpie is black and white.
- The birdcage is a muted green, the red's opposite, answering the suit without matching its strength.
- Small touches of red and yellow on the caged finches echo the suit on a tiny scale.
Concepts
Image: The Met Open Access · CC0