Description :

The painting entitled The Third of May 1808 is a work by the Spanish artist Francisco Goya. This dramatic scene takes place on the night of 2 to 3 May 1808 during the French occupation of Spain.

In the foreground, civilians are kneeling, their hands raised in surrender before a military firing squad. Their faces are marked by terror and despair. The silence is broken by the sinister sound of rifles being unloaded.

In the background, the dark lighting reveals the scale of the tragedy: corpses on the ground, bearing witness to the brutal execution that has just taken place. The soldiers, meanwhile, are cold and unruffled, evoking an atmosphere of military brutality.

The colours used by Goya, particularly the bright red and deep black, help to intensify the emotional impact of the scene. It is a captivating painting that immortalises courage in the face of oppression and serves as a reminder of the horrors of war.