The Way in Which the Ancient Spaniards Hunted Bulls on Horseback in the Open Country, plate one from The Art of Bullfighting Possibly 1814 - 1816

This is plate one from Francisco de Goya's series, "The Art of Bullfighting", an etching created in Spain. In this scene, Goya offers a vision of early bullfighting, rooted in a mythic Spanish past. We see men on horseback confronting a bull with spears, set against a rugged landscape. Bullfighting is a cultural touchstone in Spain, tied to notions of masculinity, national identity, and spectacle, but Goya strips away the modern pageantry, presenting a more primal, dangerous encounter. The artist was working during a period of social and political upheaval, and his images often questioned traditional values and power structures. Goya's work asks us to look critically at the past and consider how traditions are constructed and what they represent. Historians delve into period documents, social histories, and the artist's own writings to understand these complex cultural references. By exploring these resources, we gain insight into the social conditions that shaped Goya's vision.