Francisco Goya

Francisco Goya’s The Third of May 1808: A Masterpiece of Tragedy and Resistance

Francisco Goya’s The Third of May 1808, also known as The Shootings on the Third of May 1808, is one of the most significant and evocative paintings of the 19th century. This monumental work, painted in 1814, captures the brutal execution of Spanish rebels by Napoleon’s occupying forces. It stands as a timeless representation of the horrors of war and the inhumanity inflicted on innocent civilians. Goya, through his unparalleled artistry, crafted an image that has come to symbolize the universal struggle for freedom and the tragic cost of resistance against tyranny.

Historical Context: Spain under Napoleon

The painting depicts a scene from the Peninsular War, a conflict that began in 1808 when Napoleon Bonaparte’s armies invaded Spain. Although Spain had been an ally of France under Napoleon’s brother Joseph Bonaparte, who was installed as king, resistance movements sprang up across the country. On May 2, 1808, a group of Madrid citizens rose in revolt against the French occupation, leading to bloody confrontations between the Spanish people and the French military. In retaliation, French forces executed hundreds of Spanish civilians the next day, on May 3, in an attempt to crush any further resistance.

Goya, who lived through these turbulent times, was deeply affected by the violence and bloodshed he witnessed. He was commissioned by the Spanish government to create a painting commemorating the uprising and the atrocities committed by the French forces. The result was The Third of May 1808, a haunting depiction of the execution of unarmed civilians, which captures both the immediacy and the moral implications of the event.

Composition and Structure

The composition of The Third of May 1808 is masterfully constructed to draw the viewer into the emotional intensity of the moment. The painting is divided into two contrasting halves: on the right, the rigid, faceless line of French soldiers; on the left, a chaotic and emotional group of Spanish civilians. The soldiers are positioned in a machine-like formation, their rifles aimed at the defenseless civilians. They are rendered as an impersonal, dehumanized force, lacking individuality or humanity. In contrast, the civilians are painted with vivid emotional expression, each figure uniquely characterized by their response to the impending death.

At the center of the painting is a man in a white shirt, arms raised in a gesture of both surrender and martyrdom. His outstretched arms, reminiscent of Christ’s crucifixion, suggest a sacrificial figure, drawing a parallel between his suffering and the suffering of Christ. His white shirt, illuminated by a lantern on the ground, symbolizes innocence and purity, contrasting sharply with the dark uniforms of the soldiers. The light from the lantern not only highlights his figure but also accentuates the bloodied corpses of the already executed men at his feet, reminding the viewer of the violence that has just occurred and foreshadowing his imminent death.

The use of light and shadow is crucial to the emotional impact of the painting. Goya’s dramatic chiaroscuro — the contrast between light and darkness — creates a sense of isolation and inevitability. The darkness of the night engulfs the landscape, enhancing the sense of doom, while the lantern’s light focuses attention on the central figure and the brutality of the execution. The hill in the background, dark and featureless, further isolates the event, emphasizing the helplessness of the civilians.

Themes of Martyrdom and Resistance

Goya’s depiction of the events of May 3, 1808, is deeply imbued with themes of martyrdom, resistance, and the moral ambiguities of war. The central figure, with his raised arms and white clothing, is often interpreted as a symbol of Christ-like sacrifice. His gesture of surrender, while futile, suggests a willingness to die for a cause greater than himself — the cause of Spanish freedom from French occupation. The civilians around him, though terrified, are united in their resistance, their humanity standing in stark contrast to the cold efficiency of the soldiers.

One of the most striking aspects of the painting is the dehumanization of the French soldiers. Goya chooses to portray them as an anonymous, faceless force, reducing them to mere instruments of violence. Their uniforms and identical posture emphasize their role as agents of an oppressive regime, devoid of individuality or moral agency. In contrast, the Spanish civilians, though unarmed and powerless, are depicted as fully human, each with their own unique emotional response to the situation. This contrast highlights the moral divide between the oppressors and the oppressed, between those who kill and those who are killed.

However, Goya does not present the civilians as purely passive victims. The man in the white shirt, though about to be executed, stands with dignity and defiance, his outstretched arms a gesture of resistance as much as surrender. The painting, therefore, becomes not only a depiction of tragedy but also a celebration of the human spirit’s ability to resist even in the face of certain death.

The Horror of War

Goya was no stranger to the horrors of war, having witnessed firsthand the devastation wrought by the Peninsular War. The Third of May 1808 is a deeply personal response to the atrocities he observed, and it is often seen as an indictment of the senseless violence and brutality of war. The painting does not glorify battle or heroism; instead, it presents war as a dehumanizing and destructive force. The corpses at the feet of the central figure serve as a grim reminder of the cost of resistance, while the blood-stained earth reflects the profound loss of life.

This theme of the horror of war is further explored in Goya’s later series of etchings, The Disasters of War, which depict the atrocities committed during the Peninsular War in even starker terms. In these works, Goya abandons any pretense of romanticism, instead focusing on the gruesome realities of conflict: mutilation, death, and suffering. The Third of May 1808 can be seen as a precursor to these later works, in which Goya fully embraces his role as a chronicler of human suffering.

Influence and Legacy

The Third of May 1808 is widely regarded as one of the first modern depictions of war, breaking away from the classical tradition of glorifying battle and heroism. Goya’s raw, unflinching portrayal of violence and his focus on the emotional and psychological toll of war were revolutionary at the time, and the painting has had a profound influence on subsequent generations of artists.

The painting’s influence can be seen in the works of later artists such as Édouard Manet, whose The Execution of Emperor Maximilian (1868) echoes Goya’s composition and themes, and Pablo Picasso, whose Guernica (1937) is often compared to The Third of May 1808 for its depiction of the suffering of civilians during times of war. Both Manet and Picasso, like Goya, used their art to comment on the brutality of war and the suffering of the innocent, drawing on Goya’s legacy as a painter of human tragedy.

In the 20th and 21st centuries, The Third of May 1808 has continued to resonate with audiences as a powerful anti-war statement. The painting’s timeless themes of resistance, martyrdom, and the horrors of war have made it a symbol of the human cost of conflict, and it remains one of the most iconic images in the history of art.

 

 

How Goya’s “Third of May” Forever Changed the Way We Look at War | Artsy