plate no. 7710

The Third of May 1808

oilRomanticismgenre paintingfiguressoldiersbuildingsnight scenedramaviolence

recreation guide

Francisco Goya’s *The Third of May 1808* (1814) is a seminal work of Romanticism that departs from traditional martyrdom iconography while retaining its structural DNA. The painting is structurally tied to Christian traditions of martyrdom, utilizing dramatic chiaroscuro to juxtapose the appeal to life with the inevitability of execution (Source 1). Unlike the harmonious compositions of earlier violence depictions by artists like Jusepe de Ribera, Goya’s work is characterized by a raw, unflinching realism that serves as a visual protest against the violence of the Peninsular War (Source 8). The central figure, posed with raised arms, evokes the crucified Christ or the Agony in the Garden, wearing yellow and white—the heraldic colors of the papacy—and displaying stigmata-like marks, while a lantern references the arrest of Christ (Source 1). As a genre painting in the broad sense of depicting human drama, it avoids the sentimental anecdotal nature often associated with the genre, instead presenting a stark, emotional expression of conscience in the face of death (Source 3, Source 8).

estimated time

40-60 hours over 8-12 sessions

materials

5 items

steps

6 in sequence

materials

item	purpose	modern equivalent
Oil paints (Lead White, Yellow Ochre, Raw Sienna, Ultramarine, Vermilion, Lamp Black)	Primary medium for the final layers and glazes.	High-quality artist-grade oil paints; avoid student-grade for the necessary transparency in glazing.
Linseed oil or Oil of Copavia	Medium for mixing paints and creating glazes, as historically used by Goya and contemporaries.	Stand oil or refined linseed oil; Oil of Copavia is a historical resinous oil mentioned by Reynolds but less common today.
Canvas (Linen)	Support for the oil painting.	Primed linen canvas.
Charcoal or Black Chalk	Underdrawing and initial tonal blocking.	Vine charcoal or compressed charcoal.
Varnish	For mixing with oil in later glazing stages to increase transparency and depth.	Dammar varnish or modern painting varnish.

preparation

surface prep

Prepare a linen canvas with a traditional oil ground. Goya’s practice, consistent with the late 18th/early 19th century, likely involved a white or light-toned ground to facilitate the handling of light and shadow. The surface should be smooth enough to allow for the fine detail in the faces but textured enough to hold the impasto in the darker areas. Ensure the ground is fully dry before beginning.

underdrawing

Goya’s preparatory methods for this specific work are not explicitly detailed in the provided sources. However, given the dramatic composition and the need for precise placement of the central martyr figure and the firing squad, a loose but accurate underdrawing in charcoal is recommended. Focus on the structural alignment of the lantern light source and the geometric arrangement of the soldiers versus the organic forms of the victims.

underpainting

Employ a grisaille (monochrome underpainting) technique. As noted in historical practice, one should mentally extract red and yellow colors to establish the tonal values first (Source 6). This allows for the dramatic chiaroscuro essential to the painting’s mood. The underpainting should establish the deep shadows of the night setting and the bright highlights of the lantern and the central figure’s shirt.

color palette

Bright Yellow

Lead Yellow or Yellow Ochre mixed with White

The central figure’s shirt, referencing the heraldic colors of the papacy and drawing the eye to the focal point (Source 1).

White

Lead White

The central figure’s shirt and highlights on the faces, creating stark contrast against the dark background (Source 1).

Deep Browns/Blacks

Lamp Black, Burnt Umber, and Ultramarine

The uniforms of the firing squad and the night sky, creating the dramatic chiaroscuro (Source 1).

Warm Earth Tones

Raw Sienna, Yellow Ochre, Vermilion

The skin tones of the victims and the lantern light, applied via glazing to achieve warmth and depth (Source 6).

composition

The composition is centered on a lantern that acts as a natural spotlight, referencing the lantern held by Roman soldiers during Christ’s arrest (Source 1). The central figure is posed with arms raised in a crucifixion-like stance, creating a vertical focal point against the horizontal line of the firing squad (Source 1). The painting departs from the harmonious composition of earlier martyrdom scenes, opting for a more chaotic and emotionally charged arrangement that emphasizes the immediacy of the execution (Source 1). The use of chiaroscuro is dramatic, highlighting the victims while leaving the soldiers in relative shadow, emphasizing the anonymity of the executioners versus the individuality of the victim (Source 1).

step by step

underdrawing→underpainting→first pass→refining→finishing→varnishing

underdrawing

step 01
Sketch the basic forms of the figures, focusing on the central martyr’s pose and the line of the firing squad. Establish the position of the lantern as the primary light source.
Tip — Ensure the perspective of the ground and the figures aligns to create depth.
Charcoal sketching

underpainting

step 02
Apply a grisaille underpainting using black, white, and perhaps a touch of ultramarine to establish the tonal values. Focus on the contrast between the bright lantern light and the dark surroundings.
Tip — Mentally extract red and yellow colors to focus purely on light and shadow relationships (Source 6).
Grisaille

first pass

step 03
Begin applying local colors in opaque layers, particularly for the central figure’s yellow and white shirt. Use thicker paint for highlights.
Tip — Keep the colors relatively flat at this stage to allow for glazing later.
Impasto

refining

step 04
Apply glazes of warm colors (reds, yellows) over the dried underpainting and opaque layers to enrich the skin tones and the lantern light. Use scumbling for cooler, semi-opaque effects in the shadows.
Tip — Glazing involves a transparent coat of color, while scumbling is semi-opaque, allowing the underlying painting to show through (Source 6).
Glazing and Scumbling

finishing

step 05
Refine the details of the faces, particularly the expression of the central figure, to convey the emotional intensity and the 'appeal to life' juxtaposed with imminent death.
Tip — Avoid overworking the paint; maintain the vitality of the medium (Source 2).
Detail work

varnishing

step 06
Apply a final varnish to unify the surface and enhance the depth of the glazes.
Tip — Ensure the painting is completely dry before varnishing.
Varnishing

critical techniques

Chiaroscuro

Used dramatically to highlight the central figure and create a sense of immediacy and emotional intensity, departing from the harmonious compositions of earlier martyrdom scenes (Source 1).

Glazing

A transparent coat of color applied over a dry underpainting to enrich tones and create depth, a method practiced by old masters and recommended for oil painting (Source 6).

Scumbling

A semi-opaque painting technique used over darker grounds to create coldness or grey blooms, allowing the underlying painting to show through (Source 6).

common pitfalls

→Attempting to deceive the eye with excessive naturalism rather than expressing the emotional idea through painted symbols (Source 2).
→Losing the vitality of the medium by overworking the paint or ignoring the specific qualities of oil paint (Source 2).
→Failing to establish strong tonal contrasts in the underpainting, which weakens the dramatic chiaroscuro essential to the composition (Source 1, Source 6).
→Using colors that are true to nature but not harmonious, resulting in an unpleasing effect (Source 5).

what the sources don't tell us

Where the corpus is silent, we say so rather than guess. These are the gaps a complete recreation guide would normally cover that our source passages don't.

·Specific details of Goya’s brushwork and layering sequence for *The Third of May 1808* are not provided in the sources.
·The exact pigments used by Goya for this specific painting are not listed, though general period practices are inferred.
·The specific preparatory sketches or cartoons for this work are not described.
·The exact dimensions and canvas preparation method for this specific work are not detailed.

grounded in

The technical procedure in this guide traces to the following classical art-instruction texts.

The Practice and Science of Drawing↗
- XX MATERIALS — applied to Philosophy of oil painting, avoiding mere deception, and respecting the medium’s vitality (Source 2).
Laws of Contrast of Colour↗
- 306-308 — applied to Color harmony and the difference between true and agreeable coloring (Source 5).
The Practice of Oil Painting↗
- COLOURING A MONOCHROME — applied to Grisaille, glazing, and scumbling techniques (Source 6).

cross-referenced from

Named facts about this artwork and artist were checked against these reference pages.

Wikipedia: The Third of May 1808↗
- part 6 — applied to Composition, themes, chiaroscuro, and iconographic references (Source 1).
Wikipedia: Genre painting↗
- part 4 — applied to Context of genre painting and its evolution (Source 3).
Wikipedia bio — Francisco Goya↗
- part 8 — applied to Historical context, Peninsular War, and the painting’s role as a visual protest (Source 8).