Plate 22 from the ‘Tauromaquia’: Manly courage of the celebrated Pajuelera in [the ring] at Zaragoza.

Description

Tauromaquia Plate 22 by Francisco Goya brings a dramatic encounter into focus. The celebrated Pajuelera faces a bull from horseback, holding a long lance across the space between rider and animal. Goya places the encounter low in the composition beneath a broad expanse of arena wall. The lance’s diagonal and the contrasting movements of horse and bull lend the scene energy, while the rider’s steady posture provides its calm center.

Dated 1816, this work belongs to Francisco Goya’s La Tauromaquia and celebrates Pajuelera’s courage in the ring at Zaragoza. Fine etched lines and soft aquatint tones describe the animals and the surrounding space with economy. The image’s appeal lies in its balance of poised concentration and imminent danger.