Francisco Goya's "The Second of May"

Guerrilla war in Spain portrayed by Goya's "The Disasters of War". Francisco de Goya y Lucientes (1746-1828). Portaitist of royal court and then official court painter to King Joseph Bonaparte 1808-13 then reappointed royal court painter under restored monarchy in 1814(Brown, 1500-1700). Career evidence of skill at not offending whoever in power despite his liberal political views.

Romanticism

This painting is a classic example of the period know as Romanticism. Romanticism originated in the late 18th century and stressed strong emotion, imagination and freedom from classical corrections in art forms. This artistic style can be seen as a rejection of the precepts of order, calm, harmony, balance and rationality that manifested Classicism and Neoclassicism in particular. It was during this period that the individual, the subjective, the irrational and the imaginative were emphasized. This is made clear in Goya´s painting with Saturn ripping the head of his son off. Typical attitudes of romanticism were a general exaltation of emotion over reason and of the senses over intellect and a preoccupation with the hero and a focus on his passions and inner struggles. This draws into the issues Goya had with his many affairs that caused the suffering of his wife and the deaths of his many children.

Influenced by 18th C French enlightened ideas (known as afrancesados in Spain) and made critical and satirical etchings exposing injustices of ancien régime in Spain: "Los Caprichos" in 1797 - "Sleep of Reason". Encapsulated opposition to both wild mob and French retribution in "The Second of May" and "The Third of May"(Freedberg, 35-45). Second of May (Spain's national day) celebrated uprising of Madrid people against French garrison protesting against removal of Spainish king and replacement by Joseph Bonaparte.

The turning point in Goya´s career came in the winter of 1792 when he contracted syphilis that left him totally deaf. His attitude turned to that of a pessimist which is best drawn and etched in the first of his great print series Los Caprichos. These drawings mock the social mores and superstitions of the time. Goya had a great concern for the horrors of warfare that Spanish citizens endured from the French during the Napoleonic occupation. In 1814 he completed Second of May and Third of May which were horrifying images of brutal massacres of unarmed Spanish street fighters by French soldiers(Dunkerton, 56-60). After Spain's independence the political situation was very oppressive and could not restore a liberal government. This situation forced Goya in 1824 to go into voluntary exile in France, which in turn produced his Black Paintings. Predominantly the paintings contained blacks, browns and greys which attested to his dark mood. He died in self-imposed exile in Bordeaux two years later, on April 16, 1828.

The painting "Saturn Devouring his Son" represents the mythological tale of Kronos who is later equated with Saturn the Roman name. Earth and Heaven (Ouranos) had twelve children together. Her last three sons were the most fearful of them all with the last one being the ...