Bullfight, Suerte de Varas

Before a mesmerized crowd, man and beast confront one another: the fiercely determined picador leans forward to stab the impassive bull, dying or wounded animals lie on the ground, and the bloody undersides of the picador’s horse convey the abusive violence of the sport. Painted late in Goya’s career, the work shows remarkable freedom — he used a heavily loaded brush, a palette knife, a rag, and even his fingers to apply paint, with thick black strokes of paint suggesting tension and movement. The painting is held in the J. Paul Getty Museum.