Plate 21 from "La Tauromaquia": Dreadful events in the front rows of the ring at Madrid and death of the mayor of Torrejon
Original title: Plate 21 from "La Tauromaquia": Dreadful events in the front rows of the ring at Madrid and death of the mayor of Torrejon
kurzbeschreibung
Goya's etching Plate 21 from the Tauromaquia of 1816 plunges into the crush of the Madrid arena: a bull breaks into the front rows of spectators, dragging people with it and killing the mayor of Torrejón. Executed as an etching with aquatint, lavis and drypoint, the plate captures the moment of horror.
Description
In the foreground, figures lie and tumble over one another, some trying to rise, others swept along by the crowd. The bull has turned toward the spectators in the background. Precisely observed figures and the animal are rendered in a realistic manner; gray tones and subdued light deepen the somber mood. A strong vanishing point pulls the eye into the scrum.
Context
Between 1814 and 1816, after the Napoleonic Wars and during the restoration under Ferdinand VII, the Tauromaquia was created. The series comprises 33 etchings and traces the history of Spanish bullfighting from its beginnings to Goya's own time. Plate 21 takes up a real event: the death of the mayor of Torrejón during a bullfight in Madrid. In this way Goya also brings into the picture the dangers and brutality of a spectacle that was firmly anchored in Spanish society.
Impact
Immediate threat and chaos emanate from this etching. The subdued tones and dynamic layout create an oppressive atmosphere that makes the horror of the moment palpable. Goya shows the raw violence of the event without heroizing it.
Technique
Etching with burnished aquatint, lavis, drypoint and burin. Aquatint allows fine tonal gradations; drypoint and burin set precise lines and details. Their interplay produces a rich texture and a dramatic chiaroscuro characteristic of Goya's prints.
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Source: Metropolitan Museum of Art · Public Domain (CC0 1.0)