Bullfight in a Divided Ring

Bullfight in a Divided Ring by Francisco Goya is a significant lithograph executed in 1825. This edition impression, printed by Gaulon in Bordeaux, marks Goya’s successful late-career experimentation with the relatively new printing technique of lithography. Produced during the Spanish period of 1801 to 1825, this powerful work showcases the artist's enduring, often critical, fascination with the violent spectacle of tauromaquia, or bullfighting.

As an esteemed Spanish master living in voluntary exile, Goya chose to translate the energy and drama previously captured in his etchings into this more fluid medium. The technique required the artist to draw directly onto the stone plate, allowing for unique expressive freedom and immediacy. The resultant lithograph, printed on wove paper, displays dramatic tonal contrasts, utilizing the characteristic grainy texture of the process to depict the scene’s frenetic action.

The composition directly relates to the work’s title: a central barrier visually and physically divides the bullfight arena, amplifying the chaotic intensity of the performance. Goya focuses on the dynamic interaction between the horses, the figures of the matadors, and the charging bull, capturing a moment of high tension and danger. This print is classified among the most celebrated graphics created late in the artist’s career, demonstrating his sustained technical innovation despite advanced age.

This important piece of graphic art is housed within the collection of the National Gallery of Art, preserving a key example of Goya’s dedication to the printmaking tradition. The detail and technical skill evident in this impression confirm Goya’s status as a preeminent figure in the history of graphic arts. Today, high-resolution reproductions of this work are often made available in the public domain for scholarly study, ensuring the continued accessibility of this powerful image created in 1825.