The Same Man Throws a Bull in the Ring at Madrid, plate 16 from The Art of Bullfighting Possibly 1814 - 1816

"The Same Man Throws a Bull in the Ring at Madrid" is a print by Francisco de Goya, part of his series "The Art of Bullfighting." Goya, who lived through immense social and political upheaval, from the Enlightenment to the Napoleonic Wars, creates a work that is both documentary and critical. Here, we see a scene of raw power and precarious balance; a man wrestling a bull, observed by onlookers who appear as ghostly figures in the background. Bullfighting in Goya’s Spain was more than sport, it was enmeshed with notions of national identity, masculinity, and honor. Consider the vulnerability of the man grappling with the bull; Goya seems to question the glorification of violence and the unequal contest between man and beast. This print reflects on the spectacle of bullfighting while hinting at the darker aspects of Spanish society during Goya's time. It compels us to think about how cultural traditions can reveal as much as they conceal.