3rd May 1808

• Who is the Artist?

  Fransisco Goya
• Where is the piece located now?

  Prado Museum, Madrid, Spain
• When was it painted?

  1814 (Pre 1850)
• What is the style? And give a short defintion

  Romanticism (late 18th century - mid 19th century) = evokes/emphasises emotion, awe of nature
• What is the form?

  Oil on canavs
• What is the purpose of the piece? (reference the war)

  Expresses the atrocities that occurred during the Penninsular War when the French Army (led by Napoleon's cavalry leader Marshal Murat) invaded Spain in 1808.
• Where and at what time is the painting set?

  Near the Principle Pio Hill in Madrid

  
  

  Nocturnal setting
• How can this artwork be argued as a piece of propoganda?

  Goya did not want to glorify war, instead he wanted to convey that it is purely an act of wrongful agression towards the innocent Spaniards. Through challenging the traditional artworld, he successfully revolutionised how artists present warfare pre 1850.
• Give two critical texts

  Intro: "The first great picture that can be called revolutionary" (Kenneth Clark)

  
  

  Conclusion: "It is not supposed to look beautiful, it is supposed to look true". (Robert Hughes)
• Give a composition point about the balance of the piece

  Point = Balanced yet not symmetrical

  
  

  Evidence = Spanish civilians crowded together with closed and fearful postures (describe - arms, hands, back) on the LHS in the MG. French soldiers positioned assertively on RHS wearing identical clothing + specifically positioned in uniformed row, creating diagonal line with their backs turned away from the viewer (rukenfigur) = denying viewers to see facial features. (mention right leg back - kickback of gun + both hands hold rifle)

  
• What are the two effects created due to the balance of the piece?

  Effect 1) = Ominous atmosphere for the viewers, as the difference in physicality helps to highlight the contrast between the Spanish and the French.

  Effect 2) = Goya dehumanised the french, appear mechanical perpetrators of violence.
• What is the iconic reference within the artwork?

  The geometry of the composition of the figures may be an ironic reference to the French neoclassical painter Jacques - Louis David's 1784 piece "The Oath of Horati"

  
• Give a composition point about the deceased Spaniard on the ground, stating the effect as well.

  Point = the foreshortened deceased Spanish man positioned in the IF boasts identical positioning as the martyr with stretched arms.

  Effect = foreshadow the martyr imminent execution by the French Army, evoking pity from the viewer due to the continuous acts of unjustified violence towards the innocents.

  
• Give a composition point about the religious iconography within the artwork, also stating the effect as well.

  Point = Religious iconography is expressed through the focal point, who is positioned LHS in the FG

  Effect = echoes the crucifixion (since the stigmata can be depicted within his left palm and both arms raised) which successfully intensifies his innocence as he represents a symbol for persecution and martyrdom.

  
• Give a composition point about the horizontal emphasis within the piece, also stating the effect as well.

  Point = rifles held by French army establish a horizontal emphasis which cuts across the central axis of the piece

  Effect = helping guide the viewers gaze across the painting to the enlarged focal point

  
• Give a colour point about the limited palette and its reasoning

  Point = Conforms to romantic style through limited palette

  Reasoning = Naturalistic/subdued/earthy colours: brown, grey, orche
• Give a colour point regarding the focal point, its reasoning and effect

  Point = Focal point easily depictable

  Reasoning = wearing white shirt and yellow breaches

  Effect = Juxtaposes with background/figures dark colours. + Intensify purity + army’s sacrilegious actions.
• Give a colour point about the use of burnt sienna and its effect

  Point = Burnt sienna colour used for dead civilian's blood juxtaposes the dark tones

  Effect = foreshadowing that the chaos that will continue, creating an unsettling atmosphere
• Give a light point about the one, unusual light source and its reasoning

  Point = Only 1 light source

  Reasoning = Placed just off central axis, RHS. Unusual cube shaped lamp creates dividing line, separating riflemen from victims. Only illuminates focal point, generates “spiritual-like” light
• (Conclusion point) - Give a techniques point about the loose brushwork and its effect.

  Point = Loose brushwork adds more depth, movement, action.

  Effect = Gives impression of adrenaline rush = highlight  how petrified the Spanish civilians were in this tense moment.