"The Bullfight," by Francisco Goya, is an intricate painting which, in Goya's unique style, represents a popular sport of the time and place in which it was painted.
It is set in a divided stadium and it is immediately apparent that more than one match is transpiring with many men facing a total of two bulls.
The matadors appear proficient in their sport and the crowd appears to be enthralled. Some are even standing to behold the magnificent spectacle in the crowded area.
The plaque next to the painting does not explain the scene in any great detail, it follows only the factual data surrounding author and painting. At first glance this may be the logical thing to do, but it just may be worth another look.
There are dozens of ways to look at this painting in a deep or metaphorical way and as art, it makes sense to do so and perhaps thereby gain some insight into the mind of the creator.
The spectators' focus ends on their own side of the divider and also begins there. Each allows his view to be myopic, shallow and divided; seeing only what is easily seen.
Of the two species trying to prove their bravery, it is the bulls who are outnumbered, with most of the people standing at a distance despite their overwhelming advantage. The bulls stand poised head on, to defend and attack all that they may encounter.
The men are also carrying weapons, in contrast to the bulls, whose weapons come from their own innate strength, that with which they were born; their horns, their muscle and their instinct.
Of the two sides, it is no secret that the crowd is not cheering on either of the self-sufficient, bold bovines, but rather the cowering men who, in the first place, have instigated the animal into defending himself.
Whether or not there was any sentiment of animal cruelty is disputable, but the deeper message as seems apparent in much of Goya's work, is the animosity which can be brought out within a group. Hatred inspired by those who antagonise and are rejoiced as heroes when they enter a battle instigated only by them.
It seems quite conceivable, that by using a very simple metaphor, a popular sport of the time, Goya was trying to make a statement that after 350 years, has not struck a chord. By no means do I draw a parallel between the description and modern day politics, as I am not in that business.
It does, however, seem very conceivable that the message is there and that by ignoring this piece on any level beyond the superficial, that we are proponents of that which Goya may have been warning against.
