Banderillas in the Country (Banderillas en el campo)

The scene takes place in a tentadero, a pen used to test the condition of young fighting bulls. From the wall surrounding the enclosure, a group of majos wearing capes and hats are watching the scene in the middle of the composition, where four bullfighters are at work. There, the banderilleros, dressed in their colourful outfits, illustrate the four consecutive phases of this part of the bullfight, in which the harpoons known as banderillas are thrust into the animal.

The artist has captured the toreros in the foreground in much greater detail, leaving the more distant spectators less well defined. The predominantly earthy tones of the painting cause the bright red cape worn by one of the figures at the back to jump out. The blue sky is crossed with clouds, painted in a spectrum that goes from grey to white. In the distance we can make out a large white building which could be an Andalusian farmhouse, one of many which Goya would have seen during the time he spend in the south of Spain.

For more information, see Bulls in the Meadow.