The use of the human body as the basis of narratives in Francisco de Goya's The Disasters of War and Naji Al Ali's Handala

Abstract

This article analyzes points of intersection and juxtaposition between two artistic series in two distinct temporal, geographic and cultural spaces. Through the study of the serie of etching The Disasters of War by Francisco de Goya and the comic series Handala by Naji Al Ali, I will expand on the idea of the transfer of the notions of corporal degradation and deterioration from one space to another, whether temporal or geographical. The Disasters of War mainly concentrates on death, hunger and resistance, which reflect on the cruel reality during the French occupation of Spain. Additionally, the Handala series focuses on refugees and resistance as a theme which forms the Palestinian collective narrative. Simultaneously, both series explore the topic of feminine resistance which is important to both struggles. Consequently, both create a lamentation-narrative as seen from the vulnerable body.