Spain

As for the color, a palette of dark tones predominates: black, gray, brown and some green touch. As if the picture were of a stain. There is a strong contrast to the darkness prevailing at the bottom of the painting, broken with the white of the man's shirt that raises his hands, the light of the lantern and the red of the blood that dramatically mark the scene of death.

Goya uses the play of light and shadow to highlight the drama of the situation. The only artificial light specifically of the lantern located between those who are going to be shot, and those that it illuminates, and the firing squad, which it obscures, that is to say that it makes the dividing axis between the heroes and the villains.

The victims form three affected groups, those who are waiting to be shot and who come with horror their future, those who are being shot and the dead. The groups are seen from right to left, which introduces an element of the course of time in the composition. First, within the group that has already been shot, a man whose body lies on the ground with his arms extended. The next character that is going to be shot, occupies the center of the composition and stands out from the rest of the characters. It has the arms extended upwards, this reminds us of a crucified one, and in fact if we look closely at his hands stigmas are observed in the palms. With this detail, Goya intends to make seeing the murder of defenseless is a reality that is repeated over and over again, it is not a circumstance of this war, but of all forms of cruelty.