The work of Francisco Goya is known for its vivid and ubiquitous depictions of sociopolitical upheaval. Goya was a Spanish painter, engraver, war reporter and satirist whose practice was heavily influenced by the horrors of war. How much of his practice was influenced by Goya’s own life though? It is notable that in the year 1792, Goya fell ill with what would later be recognized as lead poisoning. These circumstances resulted in a permanent loss of hearing, and forced him to stop working for almost a full year. This seemed to change Goya’s style drastically, and as stated in the National Gallery’s Article “revaluate his goals as an artist”.¹National Gallery of Art, “Francisco de Goya,” National Gallery of Art, 2019.

It was in 1799 that a series of etchings exploring human expression and social political satire entitled Los Caprichos were completed by Goya. These etchings were baffling to the public and were only up for public sale for two days before Goya took them down from the ‘market’.²Janis A. Tomlinson, Goya (Princeton University Press, 2020), 172-173. Goya’s self-commissioned artworks at this time began to morph into his later style which viewers may recognize today, of dark, disturbing scenes of demons and violence. As artist Leon Golub pointed out, it seemed as though Goya was utilizing his space in art to control his demons.³Robert Hughes, “Goya: Crazy like a Genius.,” Infobase, 2006, 35:36.

When the political climate in Spain became troublesome in 1808 by reason of Napoleon’s advances, Goya became a sort of reporter on the war to come, a “tragic poet” of the process.⁴Robert Hughes, “Goya: Crazy like a Genius.,” Infobase, 2006, 49:38. The morning of May 2nd, 1808 brought a day charged with rebellion and violence. Crowds in Madrid fought against Napoleon’s mercenaries in the main square and this uprising resulting in many fatalities, though the worst was yet to come.⁵Tomlinson, 216. Before dawn on the following day, Napoleon’s armies executed a large number of insurgents in a mass execution. As a result, the second and third of May became dates of tremendous symbolic importance within the Spanish psyche – marking the rebirth of the their identity and a national consciousness. War would soon follow, resulting in the liberation of Spain from their French occupiers.⁶Robert Hughes, “Goya: Crazy like a Genius.,” Infobase, 2006, 49:00.

This demonstration over the two-day period, and the war to follow, clearly directed Goya’s upcoming works. He began a monumental series of etchings, entitled “fatal consequences of the bloody war against Bonaparte in Spain with other emphatic caprices”, known in short as The Disaster of War. Goya did not profit from these etchings however, as they were published well after his death.⁷Robert Hughes, “Goya: Crazy like a Genius.,” Infobase, 2006, 49:45. They are also not what is most well-known from Goya’s illustrations of the war, though they are ‘beautiful’ executions of witnessing, similar to photographs of tragedies we see today.

What Goya is most renowned for are his commissioned paintings, The Attack of the Mamelukes and The Execution of the Patriots, commonly known The Second of May and The Third of May respectively. The latter is likely his most well-known piece, depicting a faceless firing squad aiming towards victims, as one in particular stands, lit up, and in a blinding white shirt with his arms raised high in the air. This choice to have the figure raise his arms could be for a plethora of reasons, it could be viewed as an allusion or nod to Christ, arms wide on the crucifix.⁸Marilyn Stokstad and Michael Cothren, Art History (Upper Saddle River: Pearson, 2018), 32. Or perhaps, it is one last act of defiance, one last “assertion of the primacy of life over death”.⁹Robert Hughes, “Goya: Crazy like a Genius.,” Infobase, 2006, 56:33. Regardless of the intended representation, the overall tone of the piece continues to evoke visceral emotions from its viewers both now and in 1814 when it was completed.

The Third of May is an example of Goya’s work that provides us with clear understanding of why his works were affected by the political climate he was living in. Though the piece was influenced by other aspects of Goya’s life, such as his illness, there are many elements that can be attributed to the war. The firing squad have their backs towards the viewer in a way that dehumanizes them, and in leaning forward into their muskets their faces are hidden, creating an even deeper anonymity. This can be viewed not as a protection of identity but as a way to restrict empathy towards these figures. As Robert Hughes states in his documentary “you don’t register them as people” which is likely exactly what Goya intended.¹⁰Robert Hughes, “Goya: Crazy like a Genius.,” Infobase, 2006, 56:20. This is in stark contrast to the figures being fired at. Not only the main figure, but all of the men huddled in despair around him, all of them having a resonance of “intense humanity” on their faces.¹¹Robert Hughes, “Goya: Crazy like a Genius.,” Infobase, 2006, 56:22. This analysis of the figures establishes the idea that the political climate influenced Goya, as his depiction of figures is biased towards which side of the war he stood by and witnessed.

The Third of May seems to draw greater influence from the political climate in Spain, rather than Goya’s own experiences. His etchings of the war, The Disasters drew from both the political climates influence and his sickness a comparable amount. His illnesses seemed to make his art more sickening and violent. The etchings illustrated many scenes that Goya imagined in the most realistic, brutal and violent ways. In The Third of May however, the scene being depicted is prior to a climax of violence. Though bodies lay in blood, dead on the ground to the left of the main figure, the attention is on the preliminary pursuit of life over death. This is likely because of the significance of the date and event being depicted. Goya is quoted as saying he created this brutal scene: “To warn men never to do it again”.¹²Stokstad and Cothren, 32. This being said, the piece is not a piece of hope. Though the desirable meaning in the white shirt Goya chose to paint the main victim in may allude to this idea, knowing Goya’s other works it is plausible that white was chosen so that the next frame of the scene could be clearly imagined in the eye of the viewer. The scene, however, only shows victims and no champions, all of them men of the war, assumed to have been killed in the eventual battle. “There is no moral here, only hopeless rage”.¹³Stokstad and Cothren, 32.

Francisco Goya is understandably renowned for The Third of May, among many of his other works. His art clearly reflects his life, along with, but not limited to, the political climate he lived throughout. Goya is a clear example of the statement “life affects art” as viewers of his pieces can plainly see allusions of his own life in his work, even if they are not educated on the artist himself. Goya lived a life full of highs and lows, as we all do, though it can be said he took his lows and manipulated them into becoming something that resonates deeply with us.