Plate 14 from "La Tauromaquia": The very skillful student of Falces, wrapped in his cape, tricks the bull with the play of his body

Goya (Francisco de Goya y Lucientes)

1816 · Etching, aquatint, drypoint · Drawings and Prints

Goya depicts the legendary matador known as the Student of Falces (Bernardo Alcalde, born 1709) performing one of the death-defying feats that made him famous. One writer observed that he was astonishingly light and "dexterous beyond measure, especially in tricking the bulls . . . which he used to do as he spun in circles and without taking off his cloak." Goya illustrated the intensity of such a maneuver by setting both figures in an austere setting. A number of other details convey the impression of circular movement, including the swirling cape wrapping around the man’s leg and the lines that radiate from the matador’s torso.

Artist

Goya (Francisco de Goya y Lucientes)

Date

1816

Medium

Etching, aquatint, drypoint

Department

Drawings and Prints

Credit line

Rogers Fund, 1921