The Dead Toreador
probably 1864
Édouard Manet gives us a brutally stark look at the end of the bullfighting spectacle, showing a fallen matador sprawled lifelessly against a flat, dark background. Originally, this dramatic scene was just one part of a much larger, chaotic bullfighting composition, but Manet actually sliced this section out with scissors when he wasn't satisfied with the rest of the canvas! The crumpled pink cape and the sword tucked behind his back tell the whole tragic story without needing a single drop of excessive gore, proving that sometimes what is left out is just as powerful as what is painted.
Location: National Gallery of Art, Washington D.C.
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