Essay on Goya: Truth and War

For centuries artists have moved audiences through the use of pictures. As time progressed those images became more and more demanding of the viewer until they were meant to invoke a physical response. Perhaps the earliest account of such emotionally exact artwork is the 1818 piece, Raft of the Medusa, by Theodore Gericault. As time progressed people became more politically aware and involved and generations of art portrayed this. Pablo Picasso's Guernica, created in 1937, is a great example of how modern times soon saw a peak in the occurrence of allegorical and politically packed artworks. Gericault's The Raft of the Medusa and Picasso's Guernica are both horrifying accounts of the nature of men that aimed to alter a viewer's political

gun aimed at the door ready to fire. When all the Rebels are in their

There is a particular painting that portrays the style of Romanticism very effectively. In the painting "The Execution of Third of May" by Francisco Goya, we can see a great example of an artist who utilized the style of the day to create a piece of art that leaves an impression. Francisco Goya was from Spain, and a large part of the Romantic work that took place there was portrayed through Goya's work. This particular painting of his, is an example of Romantic Nationalism. There is a large story behind what is seen in paint. The historical context of this painting involves Portugal, when Spain and France invaded into Portugal. Spain was defeated, and overrun by Napoleon. Napoleon made his brother King of Spain, but on May 2 1808 the Spanish

the soldiers . . . some well behaved persons asked me if the guns were charged [loaded] and I

18. “specially the actions of the ones who move the soldiers about and order them to their deaths” (pg 303).

For this reason, this essay will focus on telling about the great feats that Vicente Guerrero did during the war and after it.

His method of pathos is described, “In addition, he manages that harder thing of making the reader understand the difficulties and consolations of writing about a war - this war, any war, the impossibility of conveying the horror, and the overwhelming need to make sense of that horror by arranging

His true personality, though warped now by war, tries to emerge. The soldier mentality, of course, returns and crushes his true personality as soon as he returns to the front, as he needs it to survive.

Robert and the remaining African American troops lay waiting anxiously for reinforcements to arrive in the darkness behind a large mound of sand. The air reeked of blood, and gunpowder. Only an occasional breeze from the ocean brought a douse of fresh air. Silhouettes of their fallen comrades in the night could be seen sometimes whenever a cannon was fired an lit the sky for a moment. The ominous fate of death was like a fog surrounding the battle at Fort Wagner.

Through these stories and horrors he is able to reach the overarching goal which is to express more than just the war. He is able to express the feelings of the soldiers to the reader which is the best way to show the real story of the

The painting The Third of May, by Francisco de Goya, was done in 1814 to commemorate the events of that took place during the Napoleonic Wars in Madrid, Spain on May 2 and 3 1808. The painting sets the scene of a man about to be killed by a firing squad. The bodies of those who have already been killed are scattered around him, and those that wait to be killed stand in line behind him. The ground is covered in blood from those who have already been executed. The sky in the background is black, with the outline of a convent on the horizon. Through my religious

The painting The Third of May, by Francisco de Goya, was done to commemorate the events of that took place during the Napoleonic Wars in Madrid, Spain on May 2 and 3 1808. The painting sets the scene of a man about to be killed by a firing squad. The bodies of those who have already been killed are scattered around him, and those that wait to be killed stand in line behind him. The

Another tool in developing the effectiveness of the poem is the use of compelling figurative language in the poem helps to reveal the reality of war. In the first line, the metaphor, ?Bent double, like old beggars under sacks,?(1) shows us that the troops are so tired that they can be compared to old beggars. Also, the simile "coughing like hags"(2) helps to depict the soldiers? poor health and depressed state of mind. Owen makes us picture the soldiers as ill, disturbed and utterly exhausted Another great use of simile, ?His hanging face, like a devil's sick of sin,?(20) suggests that his face is probably covered with blood which is the color symbolizing the devil. A very powerful metaphor is the comparison of painful experiences of the troops to ??vile, incurable sores on innocent tongues.?(24) This metaphor emphasizes that the troops will never forget these horrific experiences. As you can see, Owen has used figurative language so effectively that the reader gets drawn into the poem.

Any art medium can be utilized to tell a story or evoke emotion in a viewer. Artistry is unique in that it is purely visual and can be left to interpretation if the artist chooses to stay ambiguous in the message they are trying to convey. As an artist, I am always trying to analyze the meanings behind famous works of art, whether those meanings happen to be incidental or purposeful. So, when contemporary artist, Enrique Chagoya expressed his adoration for the social commentary expressed in Francisco Goya’s Los Caprichos sketches, I was intrigued.

“Saturn Devouring His Children” is the boldest painting of the group. Goya portrays a grim voracious giant with predatory, lunatic eyes stuffing his son’s torn, headless body into his maw, a visual equivalent of torture and murder, set against the darkness which accentuates the mood of despair to illustrate his honest views of humanity during a turbulent time.