Comparing Dorian Gray 'And The Third Of May'

Disputing “No artist desires to prove, anything. Even things that are true can be proved.”

Oscar Wilde, the author of The Picture of Dorian Gray, makes many bold statements about art. Although Wilde prides himself in his status as an artist, he has made assertions in his lifetime that do not necessarily apply to all works in the various artistic fields. In fact, “The Third of May” by Francesco de Goya is completely incompliant with some of Wilde’s aesthetic ideals. Although almost all of the epigrams in the preface of The Picture of Dorian Gray can be disproved to a certain degree by this particular painting, Wilde’s statement “No artist desires to prove, anything. Even things that are true can be proved” is particularly at odds with the message

Behind the main laborer are Spanish citizens closing their eyes and ears. Their inability to watch shows their innocence and disdain for violence because they prefer not to witness and injustice injustice with their own eyes. Additionally, Goya’s painting also indicates the corruption of the French. The soldiers are committing an act so morally wrong that people cannot even watch. The artist uses this detail to demonstrate his feelings towards the war. To the right of the central man, a man can be seen biting his nails. This shows that the French were horrifying enough to make grown men worry. The victim to the immediate left, however, shows a different expression. With a saddened demeanor upon his face, he looks to the soldiers, asking for mercy. The soldiers’ denying of the request is a depiction of their misanthropic, even sadistic natures. It also shows the innocence of the Spanish as they watch the French overlook their desire to be spared. The corpses lying helplessly with blood continuously seeping are stacked upon each other, appearing more like mere objects than like people. The body language of the deceased also is symbolic. The openness in their figure shows that they did not resist their slaughterers. In painting this part of the image, Goya shows what little regard the French soldiers had for the Spanish population and for human life in