The Painting the Third of May - Essay Example

Full The Third of May The Third of May is a painting (fermebellevuegites.com) by Francisco de Goya, a Spanish artist during the early 1800 which portrays the attack of the French military to the Spanish nationals. It is said that this painting pictures not only what transpired on the third of May but in days to come as the French executed Spaniards who grew furious against the French occupation (http://eeweems.com). Paintings such as de Goya’s The Third of May are considered impressionists, portraying happenings or circumstances observed everyday. These may not be unusual ones but could be a picture of a common thing or person that one can just observe each day. However, in the case of The Third of May, de Goya seemed to have been inspired by the political and social status of Spain during that time, believed to have been in Spain during the six year French occupation in his country. It is also speculated that he personally witnessed the killings of his own people through a telescope after which, he visited the shooting venues and took note of the situation in a closer inventory. The metaphors presented in de Goya’s painting are seen in the dead people. If the speculations are true that he had personal inventories of the aftermath, the dead men speak for other people who have been killed. The whole picture does not only speak for one event but for all the killing events during that time whose victims are mostly commoners as the clothes in the painting show. The Spaniards on the left side, the weak side could be a metaphor in itself. In addition, their clothes which give away their social status which could be miners, farmers or other hard workers, speak of inability to save oneself when he is faced with a giant, not only in the physical sense of it but holistically as their enemies are armed with rifles and swords. In contrast, the soldiers on the right side speak of strength and being in control. Their guns and fires also speak the same language as they face the Spaniards who have no strength or means to fight back in a fair battle. The emotions that the Spaniards exude in the picture represent the fear that gripped all of those who have been represented in the picture when they were facing death in the hands of their colonizers. The folded hand of the man nearest the dead bodies is the metaphor of the Spaniards’ being religious. In this painting, their only resort is shown as the Almighty drawn from the sign language of clasping one’s hands in prayer as well as bowing in reverence to God. Looking closely at the man with yellow pants and white shirt, his palm is pierced. This could be a metaphor of Jesus, the savior. Becoming sacrificial lambs, the Spaniards who died and are about to die are regarded as the saviors of the country because they sacrificed their lives because of their fight for their rights. After this sacrifice, though they die, their people will be spared of the same fate because the French can not easily overpower them as those who are left are strengthened by the passion others have shown. The white shirt may speak of purity, the purity of the sacrifices of the men. It was not for heroism’s sake that they allowed themselves to die but it was for the pure love for their country and their people. The dark background speaks of the bleakness of the incident as people are dying for unimaginable, trivial reasons. It could be that the incidents happened during the night but it also speaks so well of the mood of the time when this whole thing was happening. This picture as one person is drawn to it would not miss to be moved as the eyes observe that it speaks of incidents in the past. Regretfully, such things still happen in our modern times that any person could really relate to the picture. Modern battles may not always be physical like what is portrayed in the picture, but these battles are as true and heart sickening like those which have been recorded and painted by historians. Francisco de Goya is considered one of the impressionists (huntfor.com). Though he started his works decades before impressionism was popularized, de Goya’s works reflected the features of the theory of art. His works, as other impressionists do, picture what is seen as common, daily dealings. As the name implies, works of this theory paint a picture in people’s minds as they see the realities in the work of art. The impressions are usually from what is regularly observed but can also twist to dramatic events like that of The Third of May. The copying of what is observed is taken into painting, sculpture or any form of art to preserve the impression of that circumstance or event. In the case of de Goya’s work, his messages were preserved in paintings which when seen these days, would speak much about the history of Spain or even world history. de Goya’s The Third of May also has the elements of naturalistic art defined by its photographic copy of an image. It is similar to impressionism in a way that the images portrayed are those which are observed. They are in contrast to abstractionism wherein the use of lines and shapes are used with light and different colors, usually, giving no clear or particular image. This art theory leaves the interpretation of the art work to viewers, thereby encouraging viewers to draw their own conclusions which would be different from each other. On the contrary, impressionism and naturalism give the picture outright and not confuse or confound viewers of what could be drawn from the paintings. On the pragmatic theory, de Goya’s work can be used as a means of enhancing a person’s thoughts in studying history. Thus, it is also used as a means in promoting cultural and historical community and continuity (Spiegel, 1998). As mentioned earlier, the preservation of the events, being recorded through painting, would speak to the modern person about the realities of life in Spain during the time of the French in the country. Used as a means of communication, this does not only speak to other people of other races but most especially to the modern Spaniards. This can be a way of communicating to future generations the preservation of what people of long ago have sacrificed in order to give the gift of freedom to their children and grandchildren. Probably, for de Goya, this served to him as a purgative or a healing because of what he witnessed which could have been sickening. It might be that he felt the responsibility of communicating what he saw, through his paintings. It could have been a kind of release, an escape from the possibility of being conscience stricken if this responsibility is not performed. I chose the painting of Francisco de Goya, The Third of May because his painting has images that can really move a person. The intensity of the realities of life is seen in the images and seems to have magnetic effects that would really draw a person to it. It is moving, with the theme of the atrocities of war, the painting can draw emotions from viewers which I consider to be a strong element of a painting. The choice of colors show contradictions and are applied in such a manner that it shows the genius in the artist. As I have learned that it was possible that de Goya have witnessed the events himself, I come to appreciate the keenness of his memory as he was able to paint different facial expressions. Seeing through a telescope does not enable a person to clearly observe every detail in an event but with the images in the painting, it just amazes me to think what a genius de Goya could have been. References eeweems.com. The Third of May. 1997. Web. December 15, 2010. . fermebellevuegites.com. The Different Forms of Art. n.d. Web. December 15, 2010. huntfor.com. Impressionism. 1999-2007. Web. December 15, 2010. . Spiegel, Laurie. Theories of Art: Theories of the Nature, Functions, and Effects of Art. 1998. Web. December 15, 2010. . Read More