Art Critique Paper

The first painting I would like to write about is the representational painting by Francisco Goya titled May 3, 1808. The painting depicts an execution of Spanish civilians by French troops in Spain in 1808. The painting is a powerful, emotional picture which grasps the viewer’s attention immediately. At the viewer’s left are multiple groups of civilians being lined up for execution. A few bodies lay in the lower left and a monk is seen giving last rights over one of the slain. The central figure of the painting is a brilliantly lit man kneeling amongst the corpses of the executed with his arms held outstretched as a Christ figure amongst many martyrs. One man next to him has a look of despair on his face and the rest of the civilians faces are nondescript or are covered by their hands in despair. A lantern is on the ground shining on the civilians. Interestingly, the colors of the lantern are the same as the clothing worn by the central figure. The lantern’s light effectively draws a line separating the civilians and the menacing soldiers who are somewhat engulfed in shadow. Their rifles point at the hopeless victims and the wide stance of the soldiers legs show support and give the illusion of an impenetrable wall in front of the civilians. In the background, the townscape can be seen in the distance. It is a nice addition of detail and does not distract the viewer from the main subject of the painting.

Goya makes use of lines well in this painting. The long shadow at the bottom right of the painting underlines the line of the firing squad and is the darkest part of the painting. The diagonal line separating the firing squad and the civilians not only differentiates the two groups but also effectively implies the goodness of those in the light (the civilians) against the evil of those in the shadow (the soldiers). The diagonal line also suggests the obvious tension of the participants. The sloping curved line of the small wall behind the civilians...