History, but goes deeper to touch on matters

It is not customary for there to be exchanges between us concerning my growing interest in art and my consequent enrollment in an art school. I however hope not to offend you, not by sharing what has become so intimately entwined with my heart.

I’m not going to amuse you by attempting a funny portrait of you, but discuss a classic that I recently encountered, and that does not only touch your favorite subject,  History, but goes deeper to touch on matters of humanity, of war and the fight against such atrocities as happened on the Third of May, 1808. I have been careful enough, dear, to attach a photo of the portrait for you.

Franscisco Goya, the artist who created this masterpiece is considered a key figure in the word of paintings. On this painting he created the background of a dark early morning, in which a Church stood.

Goya tells of the dark evil that surrounded the mass execution that occurred that morning, an atrocity against humble and innocent human beings. This is implied by the presence of a church, and demonstrated by one of the victims in the middle ground.

Talking of the middle ground, you have seen the desperate faces of the victims displayed against the light from a lamp. You must, as well as I did, wonder about the genius that Goya was: What is this source of light? How can it exist in front of such seemingly horrible executioners? He crafted it so carefully that we do not have to see the faces of the executioners!

After all, he must have wanted us to focus on the victims who suffer the violence, not the perpetrators, therefore raising that humane part of us to protect the harmless of the society who’ve been pitted against the armed ruthless dictators of the world.

The foreground is very dramatic. The firing soldiers are killing one victim after another in cold blood. Goya must have been very skilled in his conception of principles of design, especially how he has used light to communicate his message, yet all this is done on a canvas, just (106*137 inches) Fairly large for a painting, but the depth of meaning it carries cannot be exhausted, not by time or space.

I have hereby just given you a glimpse of what art we study in school and the thoughts that cross my mind as I engage the books.