The Third of May 1808

Francisco Goya's 'The Third of May 1808' (1814) commemorates the execution of Madrid civilians by Napoleonic troops on the night following the failed 'Dos de Mayo' uprising of 1808. A lone white-shirted man throws out his arms in a Christ-like gesture before a faceless firing squad; a lantern on the ground casts the scene in harsh spotlight. Painted at the invitation of the returning Spanish government, the work abandoned the balanced heroism of traditional history painting for a violent moral indictment of war, prefiguring Manet's 'Execution of Maximilian' and Picasso's 'Guernica' more than a century later.

Exhibition Venue

Museo del Prado

Madrid, Spain