Topic 1 - 'The Third of May, 1808', Francisco de Goya, 1814

Rather than celebrating military glory and victory, what does it show?

the brutality and suffering of war

often described as ....

the greatest anti-war painting and the first 'modern' work of art

what is the other painting on the subject of May 1808?

'The Second of May, 1808'

who led the invasion of Spain in 1808?

Napoleon Bonaparte, the French emperor

When did the French invade Spain?

February 1808

what was the war that started due to this invasion?

the Peninsula War

what happened on the 2nd of May?

Spaniards fought French soldiers in the streets, along with mercenaries from Egypt

what happened the day after the upsrising?

Marshall Murat ordered the execution of anyone suspected to have been involved in the uprising

what types of people were involved in the uprising?

craftsmen and anyone who had knives in their posession due to their work

where were the executions held?

the hill of Principe Pio

when did the executions take place?

at night and into the next day

where did Goya probably spend most of the six years of conflict?

in occupied Madrid

Goya's work avoids the documentary of...

identification of setting and character

a nocturnal setting reflects the...

time of the events and the nightmarish theme

the viewer's eye is drawn to the...

brightly lit figure that contrasts with the conserved and fearful look of the other Spaniards

the central figure is...

enlarged compared to the other figures and resembles the crucifixion

the crucifix pose shows is a symbol for...

innocent persecution and martyrdom

both his hands show signs of...

stigmata (the wounds of Christ)

a foreshortened dead man in the foreground mirrors...

the pose of the martyr with his arms outstretched

the uniform row of executioners creates a...

diagonal line, their guns form a strong horizontal drawing attention to the central figure

in contrast to the victims the soldiers are...

ordered and anonymous

the geometry of the composition may be an ironic comment on the French Neoclassical painter....

Jacques-Louis David's 1784 work 'Oath of the Horatii'

the soldiers expressions are...

hidden from the viewer

the soldier's hidden faces show the...

faceless, dehumanised perpetrators of violence and oppression

the lamp provides a...

firm dividing line on the ground, separating the victims from the French soldiers

the lamp is the only...

source of light and illuminated the martyr, almost spiritual light

Goya used what paint to illuminate the lamp and the white shirt of the martyr?

lead white

the most notable features of Goya's mature style are...

the dynamic brushwork and the free handling of paint e.g. the blood splatter

minor details are replaced with...

energetic swirls

the two paintings were believed to have been....

decoration of a triumphul arch during the return of the Spanish King Ferdinand VII in 1814