The Third of May by Francisco Goya 1808 in Madrid

The Third of May by Francisco Goya 1808 in Madrid

The artistic movement associated with the work of art

The Third of May Originated in Europe towards the end of the 18^th Century, Specifically from the year 1800 to 1850. This work of art belongs to Romanticism. According to Schneider (2007), Romanticism was branded by the focus on glorification of all the past and nature as well as on individualism and emotion. Additionally, Romanticism had a complex and significant influence on politics, whereby, the romantic thinkers swayed the radicalism, nationalism, Liberalism, and Liberalism.

Style of the artist

Particularly in his youth, Goya was very familiar with the late Rococco and Baroque styles. His painting embraced much of personality, making it align with the conventional. This trait made his paints more unique in the era of the romanticism movement. As shown in the painting on the Third of May, this style helped Goya to depict his unease on the individuals who were suffering as a result of war or politics (Kleiner, 2009).

Influences that shaped the Third of May painting

Political influences- these were one of the aspects that inspired Goya to design the Third of May Painting. Citing Schneider (2007), this painting was done in the era of the Peninsular War, which took place in 1808-1814, when the French Army had invaded Spain. The French Army rounded up and massacred the Spanish freedom fighters. Goya, in his painting, portrays the dismay of war whereby the suspected people were killed. The art gives a clear illustration of what the people experienced during the war, both the executing soldiers and the victims of the war..

The subject/content influences in the painting were portrayed by the readiness for death. According to Kleiner (2009), this painting, for example, shows people covering their eyes to avoid watching the killings, whereas they were sure it is coming. In addition to this, the man in white stretches out his arm, submitting to the men with guns and his fate. The man in white is most likely to be the epitome of the entire Goya’s painting. The stretching of the arms illustrates indescribable power when we recall Christ on the Cross. The scene depicted by Goya takes place at night to explain the dramatic effect. The faces of the executors are hidden; therefore cannot be well identified, and the executors are illustrated in a line showing machine-like efficiency.

Reflection on my learning

Vivid research and reliance on the literature have helped me to comprehend what the author of the Third of May painting desired to put across to the audience.  Through this piece, I have learned that art is not just a drawing illustrated in painting. Still, it is a clear reflection of various issues that affect a community, as demonstrated in the Third of May pointing during the romanticism era. I have been able to appreciate the contribution of different influences in passing the required message to the audience. Such influences citing Martin and Jacobus (2018) include historical, political, stylistic, subject, and cross-disciplinary influences.

Understanding the context of art has helped me to my point of view with the author. The context consists of all the things that enabled the artist to develop this work of art. According to Martin and Jacobus (2018), the setting in literature influences how people respond to a particular work of art, including aspects such as culture, gender, time, and nationality. In the painting the Third of May, the artist wanted to show the sentiments of political influences involving France and Spain. In conclusion, I am now able to comprehend painting and interpret it based on the setting.

References

Kleiner, F. (2009). Gardner’s Art through the Ages: A Global History. Hoboken: Cengage Learning EMEA.

Martin, F., & Jacobus, L. (2018). The humanities through the arts. New York: McGraw-Hill Education.

Schneider, J. (2007). The Age of Romanticism. Westport, Connecticut: Greenwood Publishing Group.

Figure 1: Third of May by Francisco Goya in 1808