The Modernity of Francisco Goya's The Third of May , 1808 (1814).
This paper will argue that, while The Third of May, 1808 may seem to demand contextualization in terms of historic political and cultural forces - particularly the Napoleonic wars, nationalism and Romanticism - close analysis of the work would suggest that it is best appreciated in isolation from its immediate political and cultural context. From this perspective, Goya's The Third of May, 1808 is a painting, not of Romantic heroism or of Spanish patriotism, but of simple human suffering in the face of political violence and oppression. As such, it is a painting whose modernity and universal resonance transcends the narrow context of its creation. 8 pgs. Bibliography lists 5 sources.
