The Second of May 1808
by Francisco Goya, 1814
StyleRomanticism
Artwork Details
Details
- Year
- 1814
- Medium
- Oil on canvas
- Size
- 268 cm × 347 cm (105.5 × 136.6 in)
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Francisco Goya painted The Second of May 1808 in 1814, showing the Madrid uprising against French occupation. Spanish civilians attack Mameluke cavalry (Egyptian soldiers serving Napoleon) in the Puerta del Sol. The scene explodes with violence: stabbing, shooting, horses rearing, bodies falling.
Unlike traditional battle paintings with clear heroes, chaos dominates. Friend and enemy tangle together in desperate combat. Goya captures the fury of popular resistance and the brutality it triggered. The earth tones and blood-reds create a palette of violence.
This painting pairs with The Third of May, showing uprising and retribution. The Prado displays them in the same gallery. Together they form a meditation on the futility and necessity of resistance against tyranny.
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Also at Museo del Prado, Madrid
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About The Second of May 1808
The Dos de Mayo Uprising, when Madrid civilians attacked French forces on May 2, 1808, triggering Spain's War of Independence.
Mamelukes, Egyptian cavalry soldiers who fought for Napoleon. Spanish fury particularly targeted these foreign Muslim troops Francisco Goya created it as part of the Spanish artistic tradition.
Yes, Goya painted it alongside The Third of May, showing the uprising and its bloody aftermath.
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