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Mia Brees

Thompson

AP Art

September 28, 2020

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Reading of a painting

 

Tres de Mayo 1808 by Francisco Goya

 

 

Article and Video Notes:

  • Francisco Goya - Spaniard and court artist to crown

  • Napoleon's armies invaded Spain and took control of regions of Spain 

  • leaders Charles IV and Ferdinand VII to invited to France

  • Fearing their leaders would be executed, the people of Spain rose up against the army

  • Their brutal suppression is shown in The Third of May 1808

  • Different names for the painting

  • Prequel painting: The second of May 1808 depicts revolt: Dos de May Uprising

  • Painted as apology to Spain for Goya’s loyalty to court under Bonaparte

  • Painting was disliked for weak depiction of Spain

  • Spanish rebels are presented as martyrs who died in love and service to their homeland (hands up, right hand wounded like Jesus)

  • Anti-war , depicting it brutally, not heroically

  • Both pieces damaged in Spanish Civil War

  • measures in at 8 feet, 9 inches by 11 feet, 4 inches

  • Goya’s style turned darker after these paintings

  • In Museo del Prado in Madrid

 

https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/65883/15-things-you-should-know-about-goyas-third-may-1808 

https://smarthistory.org/goya-third-of-may-1808/ 

 

Description: 

  • French soldiers firing at innocent Spaniards as they attempt to revolt against persecution 

  • Lantern shining light on the townspeople

  • Blood, dead men

  • Man in white with hands raised

  • City in the background

  • People with face in palms in sadness

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Analysis:

Goya used excellent color in this painting. While the colors are dark and similar, he uses them to make the man in front stand out dramatically. He also used the bright colors, shined on by the lantern, to accentuate the suffering of the Spanish people. The blood is bright on the ground and the townspeople more colorful in their pain. The painting is also very balanced. The soldiers expand into the distance on the right, while the lantern light expands outward to the left, creating a “valley” in the center where there is a church tower in the background.

Interpretation: 

The piece is about the suffering of the Spanish when they rebelled against Napoleon's armies. Goya uses the man in white to show how the people sacrificed themselves in attempt to protect their home. He also depicts war violently, rather than gloriously, which was not common in the 1800s. The title fits because it is the date of this massacre, a very important moment in history. This is memorialized in the dramatic and sorrowful painting, through the brushstrokes of a master.

Judgement: 

Other people should see this piece to recognize its beauty as well as understand this part of history and how people were affected. It is worth remembering the suffering of those who died to protect their state. If I owned the painting I would display it in a parlor, hallway or dining room, but only if the parlor had a fireplace. It must sit above the fireplace, or it would not belong.

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