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Guernica And Executions Of The Third Of May Essay

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Guernica and Executions of the Third of May, 1808

There are two events that were so emotional within Spanish history that we hear about them even today. Not only do we hear about them, but we can see and relate the emotions through two very popular artworks done by Spaniards who were directly affected by these events. Francisco de Goya and Pablo Picasso used their artistic talents to record these events. There are many differences within these two artworks. However, there are also many similarities, even though these artworks were constructed in two different centuries. Francisco de Goya has painted an image to show a time of tragedy. This painting is called Executions of the Third of May, 1808. Goya started painting this in 1814 …show more content…

Utilizing his talent as an artist, Goya painted, an eight feet and nine inches by thirteen feet and four inches canvas, using oil as his medium. The majority of the painting is in dark earth tones, however, he used whites, yellows, and reds to highlight important features in the work. The executions occurred during the invasion of Spain by Napoleon and his troops in 1808. This particular event took a toll on Goya because he was a Spaniard himself. This is an image of actual events that occurred on the hill of Principe Pio and the battle at Medina del Rio. Goya’s strategy was to use psychological forces to direct not only our eyes but also our sympathy to the painting. He gains our sympathy by using the faces of the rebels as focal points in the painting. He painted the soldiers and their rifles in a way to create direction that forces the viewers to focus on the rebel with his hands flung out in a gesture of crucifixion. He also painted this rebel with a bright white shirt and clean pants. The rebel’s face shows grief and anguish, but his arms are in the shape of a v which may represent amity. The faces of the other rebels show that

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