Francisco Goya The Third Of May 1808

The third of May 1808 is a painting by the Spanish artist Francisco Goya. The painting portrays an execution of masses of Spanish men by French soldiers. The six Napoleon's troops are firing at a close range at a group of Spanish civilians. Between the narrow space of the soldiers and the Spanish men, there is a square lantern creating a dramatic light effect on the Spanish men. The painting is centered around an adult Spanish man kneeling with his arms outstretched at a gunpoint. He is wearing a white shirt and yellow pants. While there are about seven terrified men and a Catholic monk beside the central figure, there are also three dead bodies and blood shade in front of him. The scene takes place in front of a hill. A church can be seen
in the distance too.
The Chiaroscuro light setting created the Spanish man with his arm stretched to be the focal point of the painting. The painting depicts the misery of the Spanish men and the cruelty of the French soldiers. The soldiers had a stiff physique. The view cannot see the faces of these French soldiers. This shows the resentment feeling toward their cruel action. The Spanish men tend to be more humanistic. They show emotions such as fear and pain. Moreover, their physical texture is delicate. The light and dark contrast created by the lantern separates the soldiers represented as an evil creature and the Spanish men portrayed as innocents.
The Focal point or the Spanish Man in the White Shirt is a Christ figure. His hand position is like Christ on the Cross. He is wearing a clean, white shirt and bright yellow pants, which makes him stand out from the other Spaniards wearing dirty, bloodstained clothes of dark colors. The monk preys over their dead bodies to give them peace, while the man with his arms spread is pleading for peace from the soldiers. This heroic action reflects his similarity with Christ. The facial expressions of the Spaniards, the dead bodies and the cruelty of the troops force the viewer to feel empathy with the men. In the painting, Goya reflects the horrors of war and colonization.