Plate 18 of the ‘Tauromaquia’: The daring of Martincho in the ring at Zaragoza

Description

Tauromaquia Plate 18 by Francisco Goya brings a dramatic encounter into focus. Martincho sits on a chair with his feet shackled, extending a hat toward a charging bull while spectators peer over the barrier. The broad, nearly empty wall throws the encounter into sharp relief. Dark ground and strong diagonals direct attention toward the narrow gap between the animal and the seated figure, making the apparent stillness of his posture especially striking.

Made in 1816 for Francisco Goya’s La Tauromaquia, this scene depicts the daring of Martincho in the Zaragoza ring. Etching, burnished aquatint and drypoint combine precise gestures with sweeping tonal contrasts. Goya gives the spectacle a powerful sense of suspended time, balanced between composure and danger.

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