Bullfight in a Divided Ring

This 1825 print by Francisco de Goya is part of The Bulls of Bordeaux, a series of four lithographs: Spanish Entertainment; The Famous American, Mariano Ceballos; A Picador Caught by a Bull; and Bullfight in a Divided Ring. The Huesca Museum is one of the few institutions to have a complete set. It was part of the collection donated by Valentín Carderera. The lithography technique allowed Goya to work more quickly and freely. These prints show a strong use of chiaroscuro, which is typical of the predominantly expressionist style of his later work. This piece shows the bullring divided in half. On one side, the stage that involves stabbing the bull with banderillas (short sticks with a harpoon point on the end) is taking place. The other side depicts the stage when the bull is killed. The spectators are portrayed as a shapeless, anonymous mass, and the faces that are shown appear deformed and grotesque.