Paintings depicting execution by firing squad in the 19th century. A discussion of intentions

Abstract

Goya’s Third of Maywas the first painting to depict this method of execution. in the 19th century, the more academic approach favoured other ways of handling this theme. This study examines the relationship between “firing squad” works by Goya and Manet (The Execution of Emperor Maximilian) and their context compared to other similar works. The third main work studied is Gisbert’s The Execution of Torrijos and his companions at Málaga Beach, which occupies a position between academic art and Goya’s influence. The study shows that, particularly in Goya’s case and to a lesser extent with Manet, the artist takes some liberties with documentary accounts of the event. In Goya’s painting, the soldiers are invented archetypes and bear no direct resemblance to a unit or type. The work compares the intentions, composition and other aspects of firing squad paintings, setting up a series of connections between them.