third of may

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Third of May
Third of May is a painting created by Francisco de Goya. It represents harsh Spanish men shooting at scared Spanish countrymen. One glance at the art makes the viewer empathize with the victims. Spain is a Christian country that believes in Jesus Christ as their savior. The central figure in the painting is like that of Jesus Christ. The manner in which he is represented with his outstretched arms shows that he is standing up for the other victims. The artist as well uses illumination on the central figure to emphasize on its divinity. The figure as depicts the courage, faith, and belief of the Spanish countrymen.
The artist uses several elements of art in this painting including; line, texture, color, form, space, shape and value (Malins). “V” line is used in most parts of the painting, for instance, the outstretched arms of the central figure, the collar of his shirt and his pants. The lantern that provides illumination on the painting forms a “v” line as well. The artist has also included a line in the sand that helps the viewer differentiate between the soldiers and the victims of war. According to shape, the soldiers are highly contoured since the audience can neither see their faces nor relate to them.
The artist used a combination of loose brushstrokes and a dull surface to make the texture of the victims softer as opposed to the shiny surface of the soldiers. According to the space element, the viewer externally looks in the painting.

More so, the contrasting dark and light line of sand spatially distinguishes the countrymen from the soldier. There is a feeling of entrapment created by the mountain line at the back of the painting.
Works cited
Malins, Frederick. Understanding Paintings. 1st ed. Englewood Cliffs, N.J.: Prentice-Hall, 1981. Print.