A detailed, engaging painting that accomplishes a perfect balance of positive
and negative space, purity and value use. The scene is wonderfully natural, yet
is rendered in a unique way only Goya is capable of. |
The scene brings to light a violent and inhumane form of entertainment. The purpose
is to increase awareness of the carnage and suffering it brings, not just to
people but to the animals as well. This is accomplished with oil on canvas. Shape and color properties are seamlessly unified in this work. The fine-tuned
roughness of this painting unifies all grounds across the canvas with a subtle
texture. The color scheme is a basic complementary purity gradient, used to
near-perfection.
Value and purity create depth to great effect. Not only do they both create
richness in the figures, color temperature is used (mostly cool) to aid in the
intuitive sense of space. This work is asymmetrically static. The distribution of
figures and lines of motion do the heavy lifting for creating balance, but so
too does the value contrast across the top of the canvas. This is particularly
effective, and unique (from my experience) to this painting alone. Flecks of
shadow scattered in the left upper-corner, and the same with white in the right, create near inverted reflections of the respective areas.
Subjects and ground are both treated with gestural shapes characterized by
finely-tuned detail. A cold tinge is felt throughout, yet is professionally
counter-balanced by moments of warm colors. The purity of the identifiable
colors is well contrasted against the muddy, high-key character of the entire scene. The interaction of the stage-center figures is the primary area of focus,
followed by the loose pattern implied by the minuscule, rounded figures strewn across
the top of the canvas. Color interaction is the secondary focal point where
green and red highlights are found in near proximity. The dimensions of the frame strongly complement the lateral motion of
the scene playing out.
The style innate to Goya’s mind is beautiful, and this painting is an example
of it. His choices in the use of shape, color dimensions and elemental economy
support, and do nothing to distract from, his subtle yet unmistakable commentary
on the subject activity. 
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