The Fitzwilliam Museum is holding a special exhibition of etchings by the Spanish artist Francisco de Goya from his Tauromaquia (Bullfighting) series.

In their youth, Goya and his friends had been avid supporters of bullfights.

By 1816, however, the views held by several of his peers had changed and they started speaking out against the sport, denouncing it as a savage spectacle. It was at this time that Goya published these prints depicting graphic scenes from bullfights.

To this day, critics are unsure as to Goya's motives for producing the etchings. Did he share the new opinions of his friends and want to emphasise the cruel nature of bullfights or was he remaining steadfast in his original support and glorifying the fights in the face of increasing criticism? Or was the artist, in fact, trying to remain deliberately ambiguous, allowing the viewer to interpret the etchings as they saw fit?

The Fitzwilliam invites you to reach your own conclusions by visiting the free exhibition, which is running until December 5 in the Charrington Print Room.

Picture caption: Francisco José de Goya (1746-1828), 'The Cid spearing another bull' (c) The Fitzwilliam Museum

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