19th Century Mexican Art Analysis

There are three themes of this painting. The first theme is race; the Mexicans had been struggling for independence (against Spanish government), because French had much more power at the time. The second theme is class, the working class Mexicans complained of oppression and exploitation because most were landless. Furthermore, the upper class clearly had reign on the war. Lastly, gender is another theme that presents in the painting. In 19th century, only men were allowed to fight in the war – there are no women in the painting.
How does this artwork engage your senses? How does it affect you emotionally? Describe the overall mood of the piece.
This artwork gives people a dark and unsettling feeling. It also gives viewer sense of what each particular character
In my initial response I wrote, “I think this painting is about conflict and execution” and I want to change this to this painting is a political piece and it is very dark. It contributes to 19th century society in terms of the war in general. Moreover, this piece was not allowed to be shown in France.
What do you think is the most engaging, interesting, and/or successful aspect of this work of art?
I think the most engaging, interesting and successful part of this painting is the execution scene in the painting. The mimetic is the representation of three men being executed at once during the French-Mexican war. The details of the right side, where the executioners are execute Maximillian and two men. It also contrasts with chaos on the left side of the painting.
How do you think the work of art could be more engaging, interesting, and/or successful?
I think the art work could be more engaging on the background. The upper part of the background is a bit nosy to me, the detail or the colour is not that clear, therefore it is hard for me to understand the details and the elements that artist was tried to