Paul Glenshaw is one of the premier storytellers at the Smithsonian Institution; his Art + History series serving as proof of that assertion. I have previously reported on his skills in recounting his description of The Gross Clinic and I evidenced them again in his recent presentation on The Third of May 1808, Francisco Goya's iconic 1814 painting.
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| The Third of May, 1814 Francisco Goya |
The subject work was created in Madrid in 1814, went into storage in the Prado in 1834, and had its first known public display therein in 1872. The painting depicts the execution of individuals who participated in a May 2nd (1808) uprising against Napoleon. In this post I provide Glenshaw's context (supplemented with some secondary research) for the painting and its components.
Francisco Goya
Francisco Goya was born on March 30, 1746 in Fuendetodas (his mother's village) to a lower middle class family. His father being a gilder, he was born into a world of creativity. He spent the majority of his childhood in Zaragossa where he began his artistic studies -- at the age of 14 -- under the painter José Lugán. Those studies were completed after 4 years after which Francisco went to Madrid to study under Anton Raphael Mengs, a German who was Court Painter to the Spanish Royal Family.
According to franciscogoya.com, Goya clashed with his Master and his examination was unsatisfactory. He submitted entries for the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in 1763 and 1766 but failed on both occasions.
Portrait of Goya, Vicente Lopéz Portana, c.1826
Francisco studied in Rome and travelled all over Europe. One of his early works from this period was Sacrifice to Pan (1771)
Sacrifice to Pan, 1771
Francisco Goya
His painting The Victorious Hannibal came in second in a painting competition organized by the City of Parma.
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| Hannibal the Conqueror, Viewing Italy for the first time from the Alps, 1770 - 1771 Francisco Goya |
He returned to Zaragoza in 1771 and painted parts of the cupola of the Basilica of the Pillar (including Adoration of the Name of God).
Adoration of the Name of God, 1772
Francisco Goya
In Zaragoza Goya studied with Francisco Bayeu and eventually married the latter's sister Josefa with whom he had eight children. This relationship (Bayeu was a member of the Royal Academy of Fine Art) helped Goya to secure work as a painter of designs to be woven by the Royal Tapestry Factory. His work on the patterns brought him to the attention of the Royal Court (franciscogoya.com):
- Appointment as a member of the Royal Academy of Fine Art
- In 1783, the Count of Floridabianca commissioned Goya to paint his portrait
- He spent two summers painting portraits of the Crown Prince Don Luis and his family
- He painted portraits of the Duke and Duchess of Osuna, the King, and other notables during the 1780s
- In 1786 he was given a salaried position as painter to Charles III
- In 1789 he was made Court Painter to Charles IV
- In 1799 he was appointed First Court Painter
- In addition to the Royal Family, Goya received commissions from many members of the Spanish nobility.
The Political Environment
The French Revolution was launched around this time with Napoleon eventually taking the reins of the country. As it relates to geopolitics, England was allied with Portugal while Spain was weak. This state of affairs concerned Napoleon as he feared that Spain would fall to England and France.
In 1808, Fernando, son of King Charles IV, staged a coup and forced his father to abdicate. Napoleon had Charles and Fernando meet with him to discuss the political crisis and forced them to abdicate in favor of Napoleon's brother Joseph. Both Fernando and Charles were sent into exile. Napoleon then sent in French troops to solidify the takeover.
On May 2nd, the local population exploded in fury at the state of affairs and proceeded to attack the French troops. The Spanish troops handed out weapons to the upstarts so that they could battle the French on a more equal footing.
On the 3rd of May additional French troops were deployed to bring the uprising under control. Recalcitrants were rounded up and shot.
Goya's Rendition of Events
Years later Goya was given a commission to commemorate the event. He began with the events of the 2nd of May, showing the uprising in the center of the city with Spanish citizens battling the Mamelukes and French officers. The scene is chaotic, with dead bodies on the ground juxtaposed against the action of battle and the solidity of the background architecture.
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| The Second of May 1808, 1814 Francisco Goya |
The painting Third of May shows the events of the following day.
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| Third of May 1808, 1814 Francisco Goya |
There is a hill and a building in the background and people are coming into the foreground from that space. The foreground is dominated by a firing squad on the right side of the painting, a lantern in the center, and targets/victims on the left.
The detail below focuses on the members of the firing squad. In this detail we see humans as killing machines: no faces; similar clothing; and almost merged guns. The knapsacks are different so they are individuals. No feelings are exhibited here. The ground around their feet are illuminated by the lantern but only two partial shadows are cast.
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| Detail of Francisco Goya's Third of May 1808 |
In the detail below we see the square lantern lighting up the victims, showing what has already been done; and what is to come. The ground in front of the victims is splattered with the blood of the dead and wounded while those still standing are in various stages of acceptance of their fates. The central figure is clothed in white and gold and stands, eyes bulging and hands upraised. The light from the lantern emphasizes this individual.
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| Detail of Francisco Goya's Third of May 1808 |
Goya never exhibited any political inclinations during his life but apparently thought that those May events should be memorialized. According to artincontext.org, it was Goya who presented the idea of the paintings to the Spanish government and they commissioned the works.
According to artincontext.org, this painting "... is widely acclaimed by many art sources as being one of the 'first' modern art paintings" in that "the subject matter and artistic technique depart from what was expected at the time from history paintings ..." and influenced a number of artists ( Edouard Manet, The Execution of Emperor Maximilian (1868 to 1869); Pablo Picasso, Guernica (1987); Pablo Picasso, Massacre in Korea (1951); and Robert Ballagh, The Third of May after Goya (1970)) to produce "paintings related to execution from war."
©EverythingElse238
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