The bullfight 

Mariano Fortuny Marsal created this painting of a bullfight, likely in the 1860s, using oil on canvas. The bullfight captured here transcends mere spectacle. It's a cultural event, deeply ingrained in Spanish identity. The image creates meaning through its visual codes – the matador's flamboyant attire, the frenzied movements of the bull, and the roaring crowd that blurs into a single mass of excitement. Fortuny, living through a period of immense social change and political unrest in Spain, captured the bullfight as a complex symbol of national pride and tradition, even as it was also becoming an object of critique and controversy. To better understand this artwork, we can explore the history of bullfighting as a sport, its relationship to Spanish nationalism, and its evolving place in the country’s cultural landscape. Through this approach, we see how art reflects and shapes society.