Ceballos Mounted on a Bull Breaks Short Spears in the Ring at Madrid 1815 - 1816

Curator: This is Goya's "Ceballos Mounted on a Bull Breaks Short Spears in the Ring at Madrid," an etching in the collection of the Harvard Art Museums. Editor: My immediate feeling is tension. The figures are so close, and there's such a direct line between the bull's horns and the rider's…well, everything! It feels dangerous. Curator: It's a snapshot of controlled chaos, isn't it? Goya's aquatint technique creates a tonal range, heightening the drama. You feel the dust and the breath. The composition is a kind of dance, a violent ballet between man and beast. Editor: Violence is inherent in bullfighting, yet Goya finds a strange beauty. I'm struck by the contrast of textures, from the bull's rough hide to the rider's smooth breeches. And the spears, jutting out – a brutal geometry. Curator: Goya really captures the spirit of the spectacle, blurring the line between bravery and barbarity. It is very Spanish in tone. Editor: Ultimately, it makes me ponder the fragility of life and the spectacle we make of it. I won't forget this one soon. Curator: Exactly—it's a mirror reflecting humanity's complex nature.