1810-1814, published 1863
A Heroic Feat! With Dead Men! (Grande hazaña! Con muertos!)
Francisco José de Goya y LucientesSpanish, 1746 - 1828
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The shocking subject of this print is incongruous with Goya’s careful manner of rendering the musculature of bodies with patterns of fine lines and stippled dots. The dismembered body parts are unexpectedly reminiscent of fragments of classical sculptural, which Goya would have studied as part of his formal artistic training.
The victims in the scene have commonly been identified as French soldiers due to their distinctive mustaches.
While early in the series the Spanish were often portrayed as protagonists, the similarities between A Heroic Feat! With Dead Men! (Grande hazaña! Con muertos!) and What More Can Be Done? (Qué Hai Que Hacer Más?) reveal Goya’s understanding that those on both sides of the conflict were capable of the greatest imaginable atrocities
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