Suerte III: Picador stabbing a bull; two toreros running to right 1845 - 1855

Curator: This intriguing print, entitled "Suerte III: Picador stabbing a bull; two toreros running to right," is believed to be created sometime between 1845 and 1855 by an anonymous artist. Editor: Well, my gut reaction? It feels a little theatrical, almost dreamlike. The scene of the bullfight, yes, but it’s all framed by what looks like garden ornamentation. The crowd is separated by a wall, as though they are removed from the violence... or part of a different drama altogether. Curator: Absolutely, it's rife with symbolic layering. We've got this traditional bullfighting scene, a dance of death in its rawest form. Then there's the visual architecture that surrounds it. The floral designs give a classical stage-like structure. The onlookers perched above further create the spectacle; as if it were designed specifically for the rich to view. It gives the whole artwork a stylized violence, made palatable through decor. Editor: That ornate framing seems deliberate. Bullfighting, on one level, is about ritualized death and machismo. The way the artwork places an emphasis on class is difficult to ignore. The elite observe, but never engage. Curator: Exactly. And think about the cultural memory tied to bulls in art. Bulls have been potent symbols in myth and religion for millennia, symbolizing virility, power, and even sacrifice. I mean, look at its musculature rendered here. The power oozes through. But it’s power being controlled, being symbolically conquered, not for its own benefit. This form of cruelty almost becomes another visual commodity in that lens. Editor: I like how it feels simultaneously ancient and current, in the sense of spectacle and detachment. This unknown artist packed so much symbolic tension into this piece through its cultural commentary. Curator: It certainly lingers in the mind long after you've viewed it, leaving you wondering who these figures are that frame our spectacle.