“The shooting of the rebels on May 3, 1808 in Madrid”, Goya – description of the painting

Description of the picture:

The execution of insurgents on May 3, 1808 in Madrid – Francisco de Goya y Lucientes. Canvas, oil. 268×347

Artist’s works dedicated to the uprising of 1808 in Madrid, which he had experienced, are strikingly different from the historical paintings of the romantics. They characterize the patriotic painter, who calls for struggle, as a humanist who condemns the war.

At night, by the light of a lantern near a hill on the outskirts of the city, soldiers shoot rebels. The faces of the soldiers are not visible, the compositional center of the work is a convicted young peasant in a white shirt who spread his arms wide. The behavior of all the characters was surprisingly truthfully conveyed: some of them defied the executioners in the eyes, others bowed their heads obediently, and others covered their faces with their hands. The canvas is permeated with the passion of personal experience, a dark landscape enhances the feeling of imminent tragedy. The artist not only captured a terrible historical event, but also showed the morality and heroism of the Spanish people."