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The Execution of Emperor Maximilian
Artist / Origin: Édouard Manet (French, 1832–1883)
Region: Europe
Date: 1868–69
Period: 1800 CE – 1900 CE
Material: Oil on canvas
Medium: Painting
Dimensions: H: 8 ft. 3 3/16 in. (2.52 m.), W: 9 ft. 10 7/8 in. (3.02 m.)
Location: Kunsthalle Mannheim, Mannheim, Germany
Credit: Courtesy of Art Resource/Photo by Erich Lessing
The Third of May, 1808
Artist / Origin: Francisco de Goya y Lucientes (Spanish, 1746–1828)
Region: Europe
Date: 1814
Period: 1800 CE – 1900 CE
Material: Oil on canvas
Medium: Painting
Dimensions: H: 8 ft. 4 3/8 in. (255 cm.), W: 11 ft. 3 7/8 in. (345 cm.)
Location: Museo del Prado, Madrid, Spain
Credit: Courtesy of Art Resource, NY/Photo by Erich Lessing
In the Execution of Maximilian I, Manet clearly draws on the model of Goya’s earlier painting, The Third of May, 1808. Both images show the executioners at right, the executed at left. But how the scenes are rendered, the mood and tone set by each artist, are distinctly different. How and why do artists represent scenes of conflict? The answer depends on the social, political, and historical context in which the work is made, as well as on the artist’s relationship to the subject and his or her intended viewing audience.