This art exhibition offers, for the first time, the social and iconographic history of European women from the Middle Ages to the present day. The selection consists of more than 110 art pieces that have been collected by the Zuloaga artists’ relatives since the first third of the 19^th century, highlighting the important number of works signed by painter Ignacio Zuloaga, his father Plácido, who excelled in the damascening technique, and his uncle, the ceramist Daniel.

What to expect from Women in the Zuloaga Collection. Seven Centuries of Art

The research and divulgation of women’s social history have not matched up with the growth of women's revindication. The voids in academic literature are evident even in Europe’s developed historiography. This exhibition offers a surprising story of achievements and recessions that contribute to the understanding of women’s current status.

These portraits of past and present women have been materialised through the distribution tools of the time, including religious sculptures, miniature books, painted panels and canvases, and the more recent method: social media posts. The Zuloaga Collection comprises every type of plastic art manifestation: Romanesque, Gothic, and Renaissance wood carvings and panels, paintings by Zurbarán and his environment, by El Greco, by Morales... Ceramics and ceramic panels, textiles, wrought iron, damascened steel, and academic, impressionist, post-impressionist, symbolist, and contemporary paintings.

In order to provide an accurate representation of women’s social diversity, this exhibition comprises diverse themes, such as the feminine life cycle from birth to death, feminine virgins and saints, rural and urban women, marginalised and privileged women from the public and private spheres… The feminine nude genre stands out in this collection despite its late and scarce appearance in Spanish art.

The presentation of the Zuloaga Collection that emphasises the presence of those women who preserved it, extended it, and divulged it is another innovation. The lives of the artists have been covered in many writings, but the women in the family have not received as much attention. This repertoire would not be possible without their contributions, so feminine collections that allow to understand their tastes have been included as well.

The videos, the catalogue, and the signs in this exhibition are available in English and Spanish.

Exploring 10 breathtaking sculptures in Spain

The Comb of the Wind (Donostia-San Sebastián)

We cannot talk about impressive sculptures in Spain without mentioning this collection of sculptures in Donostia-San Sebastián. The Comb of the Wind, also called “Peine del Viento” in Spanish and “Haizearen Orrazia” in Basque, is made of three pieces of steel. They lie at the far end of the city, on the cliffs facing the Cantabrian Sea, and they were created by Basque sculptor Eduardo Txillida. A must-see after walking along the beautiful beaches of this city that never fails to amaze us. The peculiar name of these sculptures reveals their artistic intention, alluding to the fact that the wind combs the waves when they enter the bay.

Puppy (Bilbao)

This surprising, original sculpture has become quite popular worldwide. Of course, we are talking about the pet of the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao. We are used to seeing stone and marble statues, but Puppy is different in that respect, since it is made of live flowers.

This floral sculpture, which portrays a Westie puppy, sits on a steel structure and it weights up to 16 tons.  Puppy has become the travellers’ favourite place to pose for pictures, and some people believe it is the most famous artistic pet in the whole world.

Maman (Bilbao)

Bilbao is also home to the counterbalance of the sweet Puppy. In fact, if we walk around the Guggenheim Museum, we will find a sculpture that is equally impressive and uncanny: an almost 9-metre-high spider made of bronze, marble and stainless steel. This artwork was designed by prestigious sculptor Louise Bourgeois. Those who have arachnophobia might not enjoy it very much, but the view is definitely striking, and it has become one of the most iconic pictures of the museum.

Monument to the Castellers (Tarragona)

The tradition of the castells, which was declared one of the Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO, definitely deserved its own monument. These human towers are built every year in Catalonia, the Balearic Islands and the Valencian Community during their own festivities, and the people making up the towers are called castellers, and they are the main stars of this beautiful sculpture.

The Monument to the Castellers lies in Tarragona, Catalonia, and it was designed by artist Francesc Anglés. This sculpture is certainly striking, not only for its 11-metre height, but also due to the realistic way in which the magic of this human castle is portrayed in bronze. Not many people know this, but this sculpture hides a secret too: if we look closely to the faces of the castellers, we can find famous historical figures like Pablo Picasso or Joan Miró among them.

The fountain of Cybele (Madrid)

We could fill a whole list with the sculptures of Madrid, but we will only focus on the most remarkable ones: those that have become a symbol of the city. The first will be the sculptural work of the fountain or Cybele, or Fuente de Cibeles in Spanish, which is widely known for hosting the celebrations of the victories of the Real Madrid CF.

Architect Ventura Rodríguez designed this fountain portraying Cybele, goddess of earth, on a lion-driven carriage. It was Francisco Gutiérrez who chiselled the goddess and the carriage, whereas the artist behind the lions would be Roberto Michel.

El Oso y el Madroño (Madrid)

The sculpture of El Oso y el Madroño, literally “The Bear and the Strawberry Tree”, has starred many songs and postcards so far. It was designed by Antonio Navarro Santafé, it is made of stone and bronze, and it has stood in Puerta del Sol since 1967. Due to its location at the city centre of Madrid, it is impossible not to come across it if you are in Spain’s capital. Indeed, not even the most disoriented traveller will fail to notice this representation of Madrid’s coat of arms.

Dama de Elche (Madrid)

Now we Will walk into one of the best museums in Madrid: the National Archaeological Museum, where we can find one of the most enchanting sculptures in Spain. It is Dama de Elche, or the “Lady of Elche”, a limestone bust dating back to the 5^th-4^th centuries BC.  This Lady from Elche, Alicante, still compels us with its mysterious beauty.

El Gato del Botero (Barcelona)

If Puppy is the pet of the Guggenheim Museum, El Gato del Botero (“The Cat of the Bota Bag Maker”) is the mascot of the city of Barcelona. In fact, this bronze cat has been roaming around the city since 1987. However, it was not placed on its current location until 2003. We can find it in the street of La Rambla del Raval, where it has found a perfect home among both citizens and tourists.

The sculptures of Oviedo (Asturias)

If there is a place in Asturias to get surprised by its sculptures, it must be Oviedo. Its streets host fish sellers, depictions of motherhood, Asturian horse breeds, thinkers, gypsy women, lions, dancer… Each and all of those sculptures has blended so well into the urban landscape of Oviedo, that travellers cannot resist taking selfies next to them. There is even a sculpture route for tourists, where some of the most popular sculptures are the ones of Woody Allen, La Regenta and Mafalda.

Monument to Bécquer (Seville)

Seville is home to a beautiful statue dedicated to a Romantic Spanish poet Gustavo Adolfo Bécquer. This artwork rests at the park of María Luisa, under the branches of a large cypress tree, and it is made of marble and bronze. The Monument to Bécquer depicts a man lying on the floor, heartbroken, and Cupid stands over three ladies, each of them enacting a different kind of love: eager love, haunted love, and lost love.

El buen patrón/The Good Boss (2021)

This film directed by Pablo Berger brought about a revolution in the way Spanish cinema was conceived. It was innovative not only for being a silent film, which was already original enough at the time, but also because of its new approach of the Snow White fairy tale of the Brothers Grimm. The story is set in the Spain of the 1920s, where the main character lives under the abusive behaviour of her stepmother, like in the original tale. One day Carmen, the modern version of Snow White, decides to leave the house and everything else behind. This way, she ends up embarking on an exciting journey with a group of dwarfs that work as bullfighters. Blancanieves got 18 nominations in the Goya Awards, and at the end of the night they had gathered 10 “cabezones”.

Días contados/Running Out of Time (1994)

When Fernando Trueba and Rafael Azcona join forces, something great is about to happen in Spanish cinema. In the case of La niña de tus ojos, they also worked side by side with Carlos López and Manuel Ángel Egea to write a script for the film that would be nominated 18 times. La niña de tus ojos takes place during the Spanish Civil War, and it tells the story of a group of artists who want to record a film displaying the Spanish popular culture. The production is held in a film studio in Nazi Germany, and the cultural and ideological disagreements of the characters form the basis of the plot of this film that ended up bringing home 7 “cabezones”. Another interesting fact regarding La niña de tus ojos is that Academy Award winner Penélope Cruz got her first Goya Award for her role in this film, in the category of Best Actress.

 Belle Époque (1992)

Alberto Rodríguez directed this film that won 10 of the 17 Goya Awards it was nominated to in the 29th edition. The story begins in the Spain of the early 80s, in a town in the marshlands of the Guadalquivir river. The setting powerfully attracts us from the very start, when two police officers arrive there. Their personalities differ at many levels, but they are both determined to crack the case of two teenagers that have mysteriously gone missing. La isla mínima is film noir in its purest form; the narrative’s conclusion is just as important as the dramatic weight that haunts the characters throughout the film.

Mientras dure la guerra/ While at War (2019)

Daniel Monzón directed and co-wrote with Jorge Guerricaechevarría this film that is based on a novel by Francisco Pérez Gandul. Celda 211, one of the most acclaimed Spanish films in the century, was nominated to 16 Goya Awards, and won 8 of them. It’s a prison drama where Luis Tosar shines with his own light by playing the terrible Malamadre (literally “bad mother”). It’s not by chance that he won the Best Actor category. Alberto Ammann plays the role of Juan, a prison officer who has to face a mutiny on his first day at work. In order to survive, Juan has to pretend to be an inmate, with all that that entails.

Dolor y gloria/ Pain and Glory (2019)

Here we have another Almodóvar film, based on the book by Thierry Jonquet, that won 4 of the 16 Goya Awards it was nominated to. Antonio Banderas comes back as the main character, along with Elena Anaya, who won the category of Best Actress. Banderas brings life to Robert Ledgard, a successful plastic surgeon that has spent a long time making morally questionable experiments with the aim of creating a new resistant kind of skin that would have been able to save his wife’s life, for she died because of the burns she suffered in a car accident. La piel que habito explores moral boundaries, ambition and, ultimately, revenge.

Mujeres al borde de un ataque de nervios/ Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown (1988)

Almodóvar was nominated 16 times for this film too, and they eventually won 5 of them. Mujeres al borde de un ataque de nervios perfectly captures the essence of the Spanish filmmaker. After Pepa and Iván, who are both voice actors, break up, a house full of memories gets suddenly crowded with a group of motley people that create this comedy full of entanglements that put Almodóvar in the spotlight of international cinema. The cast includes actors that have worked with the director for many years, like Banderas and Rossy de Palma. With this film, Almodóvar got his first nominations in the Goya Awards ever.

Every year, new shows are launched and run for several seasons in Madrid. They remain relevant first by word of mouth, second thanks to the awards they get.  The billboards keep changing and hosting new productions, but there are some musicals that just have succeeded in staying on their feet. Those are the ones we’re about to discuss here: the key musicals one simply can’t miss when visiting Madrid.

The capital’s veterans

If we talk about Madrid’s musicals, we are compelled to mention their unquestionable king —no pun intended. That is: The Lion King. It’s perhaps the biggest musical production ever brought to Spain. It came straight from Broadway and it already amounts to 100 million viewers worldwide, which makes it a privilege to enjoy this musical in Madrid. From the amazing cast, which has bewitched the audience through all the changes the production has undergone, to the incredible staging, with all those structures that bring life to the fictional world we all know and love, The Lion King has broken all records. The musical premiered on the 20^th October 2011, which means it has been running for more than a decade now. And it looks like the show will go on.

Another veteran musical is La Llamada, a show that has been running in Teatro Lara since 2014. This musical, created by Javier Ambrossi and Javier Calvo, was first staged in the theater’s hall, but when the scenography was slightly improved, it was moved to the big stage. The production is still quite modest, because the key aspect here is the story’s novelty and its sense of humor. La Llamada tells the story of a teenager who has a vision of God while staying at a summer camp managed by nuns. The peculiarity of the story lies on the fact that those revelations are always accompanied by Whitney Houston songs. Due to the story’s uniqueness, a movie production starring the original cast of the musical hit the theaters in 2017. La Llamada has already attracted a million viewers, who have been singing, dancing and celebrating life in many different ways through this delightful story.

A show that never ends

Running since 2018, The Bodyguard is almost a veteran as well. It’s based on the popular 1992 movie starring Whitney Houston and Kevin Costner, and this musical production also follows the story of Rachel Marron, a popstar who is forced to hire a bodyguard after an incident of harassment. The Bodyguard is a two-hour tribute to all the intense emotions and songs that blew everyone away in movie theaters thirty years ago, and that’s precisely why it’s been running since in Madrid’s stages.

There are other musicals, such as Anastasia, that have succeeded in attracting thousands of viewers in the last years. The beloved animated movie was adapted into a musical in New York and soon after it arrived at Madrid, proving that Spain’s capital city has strong international connections. Anastasia was first staged in Teatro Coliseum, Gran Vía, on October 2018.

As it has been mentioned before, Madrid’s musical offer changes season by season and Broadway’s newest productions keep coming to theaters, usually setting the current trends. However, regardless of the different shows running each time of the year, it’s crystal clear that Madrid will always have a wonderful musical to enjoy.

Begins as a palace and ends up as a museum

This building was built in order to be a house, quite similar to the palace of this city in the 16^th century. Probably it was built between 1530 and 1540, when became part of the wall of the ‘Los Alfareros’ quarter, which is why the building has the fortified appearance that it still has today.

The first owner of the building was the Granada-Venegas family, descendants of the royal Nasrid family. Once the Catholic Monarchs arrived in the city, the family had to convert to Christianity. However, in spite of the Christianity, this family could remain its power thanks to their marriages with members of the new Christian elite. Then, in 1929, this house was owned by the Estate due to a lawsuit with the descendants of the Granada-Venegas family, the Marquises of Campotéjar.

The heart rules!

The external appearance of the building is based on a plain façade of earthy colours, built in ashlar. There are five sculptures, three at the top and two just below the balconies which are very representative. They are the images of Hercules, Theseus, Mercury, Jason and Hector, looking defiantly at each other.

Just above the façade, there is also a sword carved into the stone pierces a heart. Next to the relief is a phrase: 'He rules' (referring to the heart). This is the coat of arms and family motto of the Granada-Venegas family, the full phrase is: ‘The heart rules! People of war, exercise arms. The heart breaks like a knocker calling us to battle and knockers are those that God gives and the heart feels.’

A winged chessboard

Inside the building there are many rooms. Its interior courtyard, in the Muslim style, still preserves the original Nasrid columns. On the other hand, nowadays, the garden is closed to the public and it is opened just in some special events. It has a pond and a fountain, with trees such as orange and cypress trees and some sculptures. There are also some stairs, a little one of the 16^th century and a newer one of the 18^th century.

However, the most important room is undoubtedly the one known as the ‘Cuadra Dorada’, whose ceiling of carved and polychrome wood stands out. The Catholic Monarchs, Alfonso V and Carlos I are some of the figures that are represented and embedded in a set of beams crossed by the sword embedded in the heart, which is the family emblem.

A journey through Granada

It is necessary to mention that the museum consists of 12 rooms based on the culture and traditions of Granada. In the first room, there are different graphics and literally representations which shows different views of the city. The second and the third ones have many orientalist pieces, an artistic trend inspired by the Alhambra, which is very significant for this city.

The fourth room, known as ‘Los viajeros (The travellers)’, has different representations of Granada during the end of the 19^th century, when it becomes as a must destination of the Romanticism period. The fifth and sixth rooms, meanwhile, present a sample of Granada's craftsmanship, and the seventh room exhibits the more traditional side of Granada. All of this is on the first floor of the building.

In the ground floor, there are the rest of rooms. The ninth room is known as ‘sala Isabelina’ and it is an example of a room of that period. The tenth one is dedicated to a woman of Granada, the eleventh one shows the historical evolution of the city through the press and, finally, the twelfth room, the festival room, is a clear example of Granada's most famous festivals, especially Corpus Christi.

A treasure to be discovered

Although this museum is not so popular in Granada, it should be considered a must, specially for those who want to learn more about the history of the city. Its collection accessible free to all residents of the European Union is opened from Tuesday to Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. and Sundays and bank holidays from 9 a.m. to 3 a.m. There is no doubt, that this building is still a treasure to be discovered.

The revival of a star

For many years the Prado's Mona Lisa was underestimated. It was considered a piece of little importance, just another copy of the famous Mona Lisa. But 2012 came along. At that time, the Louvre Museum was preparing an exhibition on Da Vinci and asked the Madrid institution for its reviled replica to be included in it. Vicent Delieuvin, curator of Italian painting at the Louvre, then asked the senior museums technician in the Prado's Technical Documentation Office, Ana González Mozo, whether the replica had been investigated. Motivated by this doubt, González Mozo began to investigate the mysterious reproduction. The seed of suspicion had already been planted.

At that moment, the Mona Lisa in the Prado had no background. That is to say, it did, but it was not a landscape as it is now, but a black background. This, in fact, was one of the reasons for the little importance given to that reproduction. Fortunately, thanks to skilled restoration techniques, researchers discovered that there was something behind the blackness. The same landscape that can be seen in the original Mona Lisa. That was the real background hidden behind a shadowy curtain.

This discovery changed everything. From then on it was possible to know that this was not just any copy, but the oldest and only one that was made at the same time as the original.

Unsolved questions

This article will answer some, but not all, of the questions raised by this unusual copy, as even the replica has reproduced some of the mysteries of the original painting. Firstly, how long has the Prado kept this duplicate of Da Vinci's painting and why is it in Spain?

The first reference to the Mona Lisa in the Prado is in the 17th century, at least 100 years after Da Vinci painted his Mona Lisa. Specifically, it was 1666 when a painting was inventoried with the number 588 in the Galería del Mediodía of the Real Alcázar in Madrid with the caption 'mujer de la mano de Leonardo Abince' (woman in the hand of Leonardo Abince). As early as 1819, when the Prado Museum was founded, this work became part of its collection until the present day. The Prado's Mona Lisa has been exhibited on numerous occasions in the museum's galleries and has attracted many curious visitors, although it has never been given the importance it now has.

As for the second question, why the painting is in Spain, the answer is more inaccurate and mysterious. One of the circulating theories, which is not proven, suggests that it was the sculptor Pompeo Leoni who introduced the copy into Spain. This hypothesis is based on the fact that Leoni owned several works by Da Vinci. The most notable of these are the Madrid I and II codices, now in the custody of the Biblioteca Nacional de España. In short: it is known that the Prado's Mona Lisa entered Spain before 1666, but not exactly when, nor is it known with certainty who introduced it and why.

Similarities and differences between replicas and originals

The Prado's Mona Lisa is easily distinguishable from its sister. In fact, it is striking to some experts in the field that, of all the replicas, it is the one that bears the least resemblance to the original. The most notable difference lies in the lack of the famous sfumato technique that characterises Da Vinci's works. This pictorial procedure is obtained by giving the compositions a diffuse outline, which integrates the background with the main element. This technique is at its best in Da Vinci's Mona Lisa. In contrast, the Prado's Mona Lisa is fully defined. It is like an HD copy of its sister, a reproduction in which the Mona Lisa is separated from the background.

Another difference from the original, which is more difficult to see, is the woman's breast. Experts point out that the reproduction clearly reveals a deficient knowledge of human anatomy. Likewise, the Prado curator Miguel Falomir Faus pointed out that all these disparities can be seen in 'the way the colour is applied, without nuances and on surfaces limited by thick black lines'. However, the same curator pointed out that it is precisely these differences that reveal details that could not be seen in the original painting.

On the other hand, the similarities can be seen, firstly, in the identical dimensions and shapes of the copy and the original. This singularity suggests that both paintings were made from the same cardboard. Furthermore, the original and the replica also have the distinctive red line with which Da Vinci outlined the eyes of the faces in his drawings. But the evidence that the two works were made at the same time lies in the strikingly similar drawings underneath the painting. Furthermore, the corrections that appear in the original painting are repeated one by one in the copy, as the Museo Nacional del Prado points out.

The mysterious painter of the Prado's Mona Lisa

Another of the questions surrounding this reproduction is the identity of its author. It is not known for certain who the author might have been, but some questions are certain. Firstly, it must have been someone very close to the artist, someone with whom he must have worked closely. Specifically, one of the pupils in his own workshop. Secondly, it is also known that this same artist made two other copies of Da Vinci's paintings: one of the Salvator Mundi, known as the Ganay version, and another of the work known as Saint Anne.

Of all the candidates, historians have chosen two: Andrea Salai and Francesco Melzi. Both were very close disciples of Leonardo. Melzi was also the last heir to his master's paintings and was responsible for their safekeeping. In the case of Salai, he was also Da Vinci's model and lover. Both hypotheses have been put forward by the Prado and the Centre de Recherche et de Restauration des Musées de France. But it is all conjecture.

An unfinished version of the Gioconda

For Louvre curator Vicent Delieuvin, the Prado's replica is only an unfinished version of the Mona Lisa. It is, as he pointed out in an interview with eldiario.es, a Spanish magazine, an intermediate state of creation: 'like a photograph of the one in the Louvre before it is finished'.

Be that as it may, the recent discoveries made about the Prado's Mona Lisa and the suppression of the black background in favour of the original, have been the reason for organising a new exhibition. Leonardo and the copy of the Mona Lisa, new approaches to the practice of the Vinci workshop opened to the public on 28 September and will be on display at the Prado Museum until 23 January.

It is located at the Museo Nacional del Prado (Prado Museum), where it entered in 1861 from the Monastery of Las Descalzas Reales (literally “Monastery of the Royal Barefooted) in Madrid.

This church that had three altars was consecrated in 1435. First altar on the right held this altarpiece of The Annunciation by Fra Angelico.

The two other were the Coronation of the Virgin (in the Louvre Museum at the present time), and a triptych whose middle panel painting portrays the Virgin and Child with Angels (it continues in the Florentine church).

The Convent of San Domenico in Fiesole sold the panel painting in 1611 to afford the construction work of the new bell tower. This panel painting was purchased for the Duke of Lerma, who donated it to the Church of the Dominicans in Valladolid.

Florence of the 15th century

Florentine art from the beginning of the 15th century brings together the influences of the international Gothic, together with the developments of what the Renaissance will be.

The precision of the details is one the features of the influence from the northern Europe. In the case of The Annunciation this precision is mainly visible at the thoroughness used to draw the flowers from Eden and the wings of St. Gabriel.

Guido di Pietro, the author

Real name of Fra Angelico is Guido di Pietro. He was born around 1395 in a wealthy family from Vicchio. After joining the Dominican convent in Fiesole, he received the name Fra Giovanni de Fiesole. Some years after his death he began to be known as Fra Angelico. 

He moved to Florence at a very young age to start his training as manuscript illuminator. That learning is evident in the precision and delicacy which he executed many of the details of his works.Find out next a review of this fascinating altarpiece: The Annunciation by Fra Angelico.

The altarpiece

Fra Angelico, following the medieval tradition, portrays an Annunciation with an educational purpose. Adam and Eve have broken the covenant between God and Man, but the birth of Jesus Christ will redeem mankind.

On the left side of the panel painting, he portrays the precise moment when the Angel expulse Adam and Eve from Paradise. In addition, so that there is no doubt, Fra Angelico portrays them dressed: they are already aware of their nakedness.

To accentuate the future that awaits them outside of Eden, Fra Angelico girds thorns to their clothes like a belt.

Their gestures are also important. Adam seems to be regretful, worried about the consequences of his act. For her part, Eve joins her hands in an attitude of prayer.

It is also present it in the little swallow, located in the brace of the arch.  The white color of his breast refers to the joy of the birth of Jesus, and his black plumage to the Passion, with which he will pay for the sins of all men.

As in so many other works, the Virgin is in a domestic interior and, in this case, reading. When St. Gabriel arrives, she stops her activity for a moment. And as a servant of the Lord, she shows a gesture with which she assumes the mission to which she has been entrusted.

He places a light source in which he draws the hands of God the Father in the upper left corner.  From it comes a ray that descends to Mary. He places the dove behind in. This arrival is the symbol of the Holy Spirit, whose coming will make Mary conceive the Messiah.

The Messiah or Jesus is represented in the main spandrel of the lodge.

Pedrella

Scenes from the life of the Virgen are represented at the bottom of the altarpiece. This lower part is named predella. The correct reading of the scenes is from left to right.

The first one includes her birth and betrothal with St. Joseph. The following is the Visitation, that is, the moment in which the Virgin visits her cousin Elizabeth, who is pregnant with St. John the Baptist baby. The third is the Epiphany or Adoration of the Shepherds.

It was painted in 1814, six years after the events occured. It is paired with The charge of the Mamelukes, also known as The Second of May. 

Goya tried to capture the horrors of the Peninsular War in this canvas of huge dimensions (2.68 x 3.47 metres).

The canvas is located in the room 064 of the Prado Museum, where it arrived before 1834 from the Royal Collection.

In this environment, Goya offered to paint two canvas that show the heroism and the sacrifice made by Spaniards and, more precisely, the people of Madrid: The Executions on Principe Pio Hill and The charge of the Mamelukes.

The true protagonists

Breaking with the perfect academic symmetry, Goya does not place the main character on the centre of the composition, but slightly on the left. This character is represented with the arms arranged in a cross shape, a gesture that remind us to the Crucified Christ. This idea is also supported with the mark he has on his right hand.

Furthermore, he is on his knees with a white shirt. He is the anti-hero. An anonymous man, innocent, whose dead will be a symbol of the bravery Spanish people in the presence of the French barbarism.

Next to him, there is another man on his knees. However, this time it seems he is praying or begging. It might be a religious man, perhaps a Franciscan. Thus, Goya reports again the fierce reprisal carried out by French troops who did not distinguish between rebels and innocents. On the right side, there is a group of men whose faces and gestures become apparent of the horror. If you pay attention, you will notice that one of them has an expression of absolute terror. The white in his eyes is shining, he is frightened. It even seems he is biting his nails.

Anyways, Goya is not interested in the execution itself. Otherwise, he would have represented the men as prisoners, with their hands tied and flanked by soldiers. Goya wanted to praise the population of Madrid against the despot.

Principe Pío, a dramatic scenery

Thanks to the chronicle of that time, we know that the executions took place on Principe Pio Hill. However, Goya did not settle the scenario. He places it on the outskirts, trying to remark the embarrassment of the barbarity committed.

The architectonic references he draws are not identical as those of Madrid. They are just  “decorations” that show us the remoteness of the city centre.

Several authors have identified the tower with the one of church of the convent of San Bernardino. Others, by contrast, suggest that it is the church of Santa Cruz, the highest in the city.

Executions took place in the early hours of the morning of the 3rd May, during a dark and rainy night. It seems that Goya tried to recreate that atmosphere. That is why he paints a black sky that occupies a great area of the canvas. This resource increases the dramatism.

On the contrary, the only light bulb on the painting is the lantern. Nevertheless, the light does not come from the lantern, but from our anti-hero’s white shirt. Moreover, the illumination behind the heads of those sentenced to death, as an halo, boosts it.

French soldiers

As opposed to the victims, Goya represents anonymous soldiers without faces. Their solid block formation makes them look like automated killing machines.

The only thing that allow us to recognise them as French soldiers is the type of helmet they wear: a morion. In addition, their kit bag show they belong to the infantry.

On the other hand, their uniforms have different tonalities since they were made up with woolen without dying.

The Executions and the idea of time

Goya represents the notion of time in this painting. Firstly, there are the corpses of those already murdered. Behind them, the prisoners that are going to be shot in that precise moment. At the back, the men that will be. Goya plays with the idea of past, present and future.