Dear Kurt,
I miss you so much and I wish you could be here in Spain with me. Spain is very nice and I wish you could be here with me. Today, I decided to spend my time in the Museo Nacional Del Prado (Prado Museum). This museum is very grand and it was founded in 1819 and is located in central Madrid. I have never visited a museum like this before and I wish you could see everything I am seeing.
As I walk into the museum it has very high ceilings and gorgeous paintings all around. One painting that really caught my attention though was the painting by Francisco de Goya, Executions of The Third of May, 1808. This particular painting was painted in 1816 to show the invasion by the French army into Spain. This painting was huge, I wish you were here to see it! It hangs on the wall of this museum at about 10 x 14 feet and is painted on a canvas with oils. It is nothing like I have ever seen. Having this painting this big really shows all of the detail and the dramatic effect Goya is trying to show. It is said that this particular artist, Francisco de Goya used the oil colors of white, yellow, and red to get make sure he would get the attention by creating something so dramatic (Living With Art - 10/e (PDF) 129).
The title of the painting says it all, Executions of the Third of May, 1808. This painting is showing how the French were firing their guns to capture Spanish prisoners. This particular painting was painted in 1814 in Spain to recreate the execution of Spanish prisoners and how the French decided to take over. As I look into the piece of art, in the background you see a very dark night sky with, it appears to be a city. As you come into the middle ground of the painting, you begin to see a hill and prisoners on the left. On the right you see a straight line of soldiers with their guns drawn. Also in the middle, what really catches your eye is the prisoner in the white shirt with yellow pants with his hands up and the guy behind him with his hands over his face. You are not able to see the faces of the soldiers but the faces of the prisoners are very visible. The prisoners are very scared and do not want to be shot. In the fore ground of the painting, all my eyes ...
