The early nineteenth century was a turbulent time in human history. French emperor, Napoleon Bonaparte, rocked the European continent like no other world leader had done before, extending his empire to nearly every corner of Europe before the end of his reign. Present during this period was Spanish romantic painter, Francisco de Goya. As Napoleon began to expand his empire into Spain, Goya bore witness to the atrocities committed by the French Army, and the sheer brutality of the ongoing conflict with the invading Napoleon armies. In an attempt to depict the senseless and obscene violence of the ensuing struggle, as well as skew the opinions of outside observers, Goya painted “The Third of May 1808.” Using contrasting colors, persuasive lighting, and opposing facial expressions, Goya created a painting that visualized Napoleon’s invasion of Spain and clearly characterized the participants in this struggle.

Goya implemented a variety of contrasting colors in “The Third of May 1808.” On the left side of the painting, Goya depicts the Spanish resistance fighters, and on the right he depicts the invading French soldiers. The Spanish resistance fighters are clothed in colors with lighter tints like light gray, light green, yellow, and white, while the French soldiers are shown wearing colors with darker shades like dark blue, dark brown, and mustard. Goya included this juxtaposition of color to amplify the contrasting roles of the two sides. As a native Spaniard, Goya was sympathetic to the Spanish cause, and, as a result, depicted the Spanish fighters as martyrs for their cause, painting them in lighter colors to support their heroic status. The French soldiers are portrayed as the clear antagonists of the painting. Using darker shades, Goya lessened the likelihood for the French to be empathized with, and characterized the French as sinister and emotionless. The contrasting color schemes seem to depict a conflict between good and evil, with the light tints framing the Spanish as just and good, and the dark tints setting the French as the exact opposite. While the colors and color schemes of the painting prove to be effective on their own, Goya’s use of lighting strengthens the effectiveness of the colors as a whole.

Lighting plays an important role in the tone of “The Third of May 1808.” From left to right, the lighting in the painting becomes progressively darker. The left side, featuring the Spanish resistance fighters, is brightly lit, making it the immediate focal point of the painting. As the audience’s gaze is drawn to the Spanish fighters, the depiction of Spanish corpses is immediately noticeable. The lighting Goya employs forces the focus of the painting onto the casualties of war. The intense lighting also compliments the light tints used in the clothing of the Spanish fighters, strengthening their heroic stature and act of martyrdom. As the audience shifts their attention to the right side of the painting, the lighting becomes notably darker than the left side. The poor lighting obscures the faces of the French soldiers, lessening their likelihood to be empathized with. 

Goya also used facial expressions to characterize the subjects of his paintings. The Spanish resistance fighters are shown with exaggerated expressions and wide, pleading eyes. These exaggerated expressions of fear, along with bright tints and bright lighting, make the Spanish resistance fighters’ plight much more relatable to the audience. On the other hand, the French soldiers lack facial expressions of any kind, depicting them as faceless “monsters.” The lack of expressions paints the French soldiers as cold and devoid of emotion, completely disconnected from the audience. This lack of relatability to the audience makes them unable to be perceived as anything outside of the unyielding antagonists.

In “The Third of May 1808,” Goya demonstrated his astute ability to characterize the subjects of his painting and the environment they inhabit through the use of color, lighting, and facial expressions. Goya uses color to influence the audience’s perception of the morality of each side. He implements lighting to compliment, and to create a clear focal point. Lastly, Goya paints his characters with varying facial expressions to develop their characters and garner audience sympathy. In an era of destruction and frequent bloodshed, Goya created a work of art that truly captures the brutality of the era.
