Francisco de Goya
Goya made two series of prints. The first was called Caprichos and the second was called The Disasters of War. The Caprichos series shows nightmarish scenes of the problems with Spanish society. The Disaster of War shows scenes of terrible violence. These were not published until more than 30 years after his death. The Disaster of War were made because of the war between France and Spain. One of Goya's most famous paintings is a large picture called The Third of May 1808.(see above) It is about the executions of Spanish men that took place in 1808. This painting shows the courage of the unarmed Spanish hero. It shows the French soldiers in the firing squad acting as if they have no minds or feelings. This painting was a great inspiration to other painters such as the French painter Manet who painted a scene of the execution of the Governor of Mexico.