The Second of May 1808, by Goya, also known as The Charge of the Mamelukes (Spanish: El 2 de mayo de 1808 en Madrid, La lucha con los mamelucos or La carga de los mamelucos),[1] is a painting by the Spanish painter Francisco Goya. It is a companion to the painting The Third of May 1808 and is set in the Calle de Alcalá near Puerta del Sol, Madrid, during the Dos de Mayo Uprising. It depicts one of the many people's rebellions against the French occupation of Spain that sparked the Peninsular War.
The Second of May 1808 (The Charge of the Mamelukes)
Both paintings were completed within a two-month period in 1814. Today they are displayed in Madrid's Museo del Prado.
Goya witnessed first-hand the French occupation of Spain in 1808, when Napoleon used the pretext of reinforcing his army in Portugal to seize the Spanish throne, leaving his brother Joseph in power. Attempts to remove members of the Spanish royal family from Madrid provoked a widespread rebellion. This popular uprising occurred between the second and third of May 1808, when suppressed by forces under Maréchal Joachim Murat.
The Third of May 1808 was completed in 1814, two months after its companion work The Second of May 1808. It depicts executions which followed the uprising.
The Second of May 1808 depicts the beginning of the uprising when the Mamelukes of the French Imperial Guard are ordered to charge and subdue the rioting citizens. The crowd sees the Mamelukes as Moors, provoking an angry response. Instead of dispersing, the crowd turned on the charging Mamelukes, resulting in a ferocious melee. Goya was probably not present during the actual Charge of the Mamelukes. His supposed presence was first suggested in a book published 40 years after his death, reporting on conversations the author claimed to have had with Goya's gardener.[citation needed] His paintings were commissioned in 1814, after the expulsion of Napoleon's army from Spain, by the council governing Spain until the return of Ferdinand VII. He chose to portray the citizens of Madrid as unknown heroes using the crudest of weapons, such as knives, to attack a professional, occupying army. That did not please the king when he returned, so the paintings were not hung publicly until many years (and governments) later.
Goya chose not to paint any single action or to have any single focal point in order to emphasize the chaos of the drama.
There has been debate about the extent to which Goya was influenced by Rubens. Goya's Saturn Devouring His Son, c. 1819–1823 suggests a familiarity with Rubens' 1636 version in the Prado. Kenneth Clark considered The Second of May 1808 an "artistic failure ... perhaps he could not shake off the memory of similar compositions by Rubens".[2] Whether or not he had seen copies of The Tiger Hunt and The Battle of the Amazons, at least one original, the painting Henry IV at the Battle of Ivry, was along Goya's Italian itinerary.
Damageedit
In 1936, during the Spanish Civil War, when Madrid was bombed by Nationalist troops, the republican government decided to evacuate the paintings from the Prado. A truck carrying Goya's paintings had an accident, and The Second of May was badly damaged: there were tears and even pieces missing. A first restoration was carried out in 1941 when the paintings returned to Madrid. A further restoration was completed between 2007 and 2008.
Notesedit
^(in Spanish) Online Gallery Prado Museum. Retrieved 7 June 2013.
^Clark,K. Looking at Pictures 1960, p. 127 (apparently on p. 127. of 1968 printing)
Media related to La Carga de los Mamelucos (Goya) at Wikimedia Commons
November 01, 2023
second, 1808, this, article, needs, additional, citations, verification, please, help, improve, this, article, adding, citations, reliable, sources, unsourced, material, challenged, removed, find, sources, news, newspapers, books, scholar, jstor, june, 2013, l. This article needs additional citations for verification Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources Unsourced material may be challenged and removed Find sources The Second of May 1808 news newspapers books scholar JSTOR June 2013 Learn how and when to remove this template message The Second of May 1808 by Goya also known as The Charge of the Mamelukes Spanish El 2 de mayo de 1808 en Madrid La lucha con los mamelucos or La carga de los mamelucos 1 is a painting by the Spanish painter Francisco Goya It is a companion to the painting The Third of May 1808 and is set in the Calle de Alcala near Puerta del Sol Madrid during the Dos de Mayo Uprising It depicts one of the many people s rebellions against the French occupation of Spain that sparked the Peninsular War The Second of May 1808 The Charge of the Mamelukes ArtistFrancisco GoyaYear1814MediumOil on canvasDimensions266 cm 345 cm 105 in 136 in LocationMuseo del Prado MadridBoth paintings were completed within a two month period in 1814 Today they are displayed in Madrid s Museo del Prado Goya witnessed first hand the French occupation of Spain in 1808 when Napoleon used the pretext of reinforcing his army in Portugal to seize the Spanish throne leaving his brother Joseph in power Attempts to remove members of the Spanish royal family from Madrid provoked a widespread rebellion This popular uprising occurred between the second and third of May 1808 when suppressed by forces under Marechal Joachim Murat Contents 1 Historical Background 2 Influences 3 Damage 4 Notes 5 References 6 External linksHistorical Background edit nbsp The Third of May 1808 was completed in 1814 two months after its companion work The Second of May 1808 It depicts executions which followed the uprising The Second of May 1808 depicts the beginning of the uprising when the Mamelukes of the French Imperial Guard are ordered to charge and subdue the rioting citizens The crowd sees the Mamelukes as Moors provoking an angry response Instead of dispersing the crowd turned on the charging Mamelukes resulting in a ferocious melee Goya was probably not present during the actual Charge of the Mamelukes His supposed presence was first suggested in a book published 40 years after his death reporting on conversations the author claimed to have had with Goya s gardener citation needed His paintings were commissioned in 1814 after the expulsion of Napoleon s army from Spain by the council governing Spain until the return of Ferdinand VII He chose to portray the citizens of Madrid as unknown heroes using the crudest of weapons such as knives to attack a professional occupying army That did not please the king when he returned so the paintings were not hung publicly until many years and governments later Goya chose not to paint any single action or to have any single focal point in order to emphasize the chaos of the drama Influences edit nbsp Henry IV at the Battle of Ivry by Peter Paul Rubens Uffizi There has been debate about the extent to which Goya was influenced by Rubens Goya s Saturn Devouring His Son c 1819 1823 suggests a familiarity with Rubens 1636 version in the Prado Kenneth Clark considered The Second of May 1808 an artistic failure perhaps he could not shake off the memory of similar compositions by Rubens 2 Whether or not he had seen copies of The Tiger Hunt and The Battle of the Amazons at least one original the painting Henry IV at the Battle of Ivry was along Goya s Italian itinerary Damage editIn 1936 during the Spanish Civil War when Madrid was bombed by Nationalist troops the republican government decided to evacuate the paintings from the Prado A truck carrying Goya s paintings had an accident and The Second of May was badly damaged there were tears and even pieces missing A first restoration was carried out in 1941 when the paintings returned to Madrid A further restoration was completed between 2007 and 2008 Notes edit in Spanish Online Gallery Prado Museum Retrieved 7 June 2013 Clark K Looking at Pictures 1960 p 127 apparently on p 127 of 1968 printing References editHughes Robert Goya New York Alfred A Knopf 2004 ISBN 0 394 58028 1External links edit nbsp Media related to La Carga de los Mamelucos Goya at Wikimedia Commons Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title The Second of May 1808 amp oldid 1180687963, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
