Image Essay #6

Francisco Goya's painting entitled The Third of May, 1808 represents the concept of an area of focus, or the focal point. It is obvious from the use of color by the artist that the intended area of focus is the man in the white and yellow who all the soldiers are pointing their weapons at. The light source in the work shines very brightly on this focal point, causing his clothing to seem to have a glow about it. He stands out very much, especially from the soldiers who are painted mainly in earth tones. Even though the villagers surrounding the man are painted in slightly brighter and lighter colors than the soldiers, they too do not stand out as much as the man in the yellow and white. It is obvious that this man is meant by Goya to be the emphasis of the painting, and the most important part of not only the painting but the event that influenced it.