Tauromaquia by Francisco De Goya

FRANCISCO DE GOYA was 70 years old when he made “TAUROMAQUIA”, a series of 33 engravings about bullfighting scenes. He used techniques of etching and aquatint. Since he was Young he liked bullfights very much. Some of these prints were made to ilustrate the text by Moratín “Historical Letter about the origins and progress of bullfights in Spain, publised in 1777.
The title of one of these prints is “El diestrísimo estudiante de Falces, embozado burla al toro con sus quiebros” and represents the peculiar way of fighting of Falces, a legendary student or graduate born in 1709. He used to fight the bull inside a circle painted by himself previously.
The Museum of the Academy of Fine Arts of San Fernando houses the most important collection of engravings by Francisco De Goya. To this collection belongs “Tauromaquia” a series of engravings about the bullfighting world in general and bullfights in particular, which undoubtedly contributes to a deeper understanding of the meaning of this ancient tradition. The Museum of the Academy of Fine Arts of San Fernando is located in Calle Alcalá 13, Madrid. The opening hours are from Tuesday to Sunday from 10 to 15 hours.