Plate 27 from "La Tauromaquia": The celebrated picador, Fernando del Toro, draws the fierce beast on with his pike
Original title: Plate 27 from "La Tauromaquia": The celebrated picador, Fernando del Toro, draws the fierce beast on with his pike
kurzbeschreibung
The celebrated picador Fernando del Toro is shown provoking a bull with his lance in the arena. This image belongs to Goya's etching series La Tauromaquia of 1816 and combines etching, aquatint, and drypoint.
Description
In the foreground, an alert bull rears up. To its right, a horseman sits astride his mount, aiming a long lance at the animal; he wears traditional bullfighting attire and a hat. Behind him, other riders also point their pikes at the bull. The setting is an open space, likely a bullring, rendered in various shades of gray produced by the printing techniques. The layout feels dynamic, drawing the eye to the interplay between the bull and the riders.
Context
Goya created La Tauromaquia between 1815 and 1816, during a period of political uncertainty following the Spanish War of Independence and the Bourbon Restoration. The series consists of 33 etchings that narrate the history of Spanish bullfighting from its origins to the present. Goya had attended bullfights in his youth, and here he drew on his own experiences and memories. The series was published in Madrid in 1816.
Impact
The print emanates a powerful, almost monumental tension that makes the danger and drama of bullfighting palpable. Subtle shading and precise contours give the scene vivid immediacy and attest to Goya's confident handling of printmaking.
Technique
This print was made using a combination of etching, aquatint, and drypoint, which allows both fine lines and soft tonal gradations. Aquatint creates the stepped gray tones, while drypoint provides bold, slightly raised lines. The paper size measures 30.6 × 43.7 cm, larger than the plate (24.4 × 34.9 cm), suggesting a wide margin.
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Source: Metropolitan Museum of Art · Public Domain (CC0 1.0)